Industry leaders and practitioners gathered in Hong Kong to advance climate adaptation, building transformation and AI-enabled solutions for a more resilient built environment across Asia.

The urgency of that shared agenda framed the evening's discussions. The scale of the challenge is significant. More than 7,000 major climate-related disasters caused nearly US$3 trillion in losses worldwide between 2000 and 2019, and the frequency and severity of heatwaves, floods, storms and extreme rainfall continue to rise. As one of the world's most densely developed cities, Hong Kong faces distinct pressures, with rising temperatures, intensifying rainfall and a large existing building stock reinforcing the need for adaptation alongside decarbonisation. The pressure is particularly acute in dense urban areas, where Arup's research has found the urban heat island effect can raise city temperatures by up to 8.5°C compared with rural surroundings, putting lives at risk and driving up cooling demand. Against this backdrop, the report examines how buildings can better withstand extreme heat, flooding and storms while supporting the transition to a low-carbon future.

Building on these themes, distinguished speakers and panellists from across the built environment sector shared their perspectives throughout the evening. Through a series of presentations and a panel discussion, they explored how building owners, investors and industry professionals can extend asset life, strengthen resilience and create lasting social and economic value through climate-responsive design, retrofitting and advanced technologies, as well as the growing role of digital innovation and artificial intelligence in enabling smarter, more sustainable decision-making across the building lifecycle.

Ir Dr Vincent Cheng, Arup Fellow and APAC Environment, Climate and Sustainability Services Leader, said, "Climate adaptation is no longer a future consideration. It is a present-day imperative for our cities, communities and economies. Buildings account for a significant share of our urban assets, and enhancing their resilience is essential to protecting people, livelihoods and long-term prosperity. Through this report, Arup and Saint-Gobain aim to provide practical insights that help the industry move beyond identifying climate risks and towards implementing solutions. By combining adaptation, decarbonisation and digital innovation, we can create buildings that are not only more resilient, but also healthier, more efficient and better equipped to support thriving communities."

Mr Ludovic Weber, CEO Asia, Saint-Gobain, said, "Building adaptation to climate change cannot be addressed through one discipline, one stakeholder or one product alone. This report reinforces and accelerates Saint-Gobain's long-standing approach of combining materials, systems and building-science expertise to deliver integrated, performance-based solutions tailored to specific climate risks and local needs. Together with Arup, we aim to turn knowledge into practical action and help create buildings that are more resilient, sustainable and valuable over the long term."

About the report
Adapting Buildings to Climate Change explores the impacts of climate change on buildings and sets out strategies to strengthen resilience across the asset lifecycle. It identifies three complementary design approaches, namely robustness, adaptiveness and flexibility, and presents practical families of construction solutions ranging from thermal envelope and solar protection systems to green infrastructure and enhanced-resistance measures. The report highlights the business and societal value of investing in adaptation, showing how proactive measures can safeguard assets, improve occupant wellbeing and support more sustainable, resilient cities.