In the Construction session entitled “Building for Resilience in the Era of the Climate Crisis”, the discussion starts from the technical core: how design and construction change when reference loads (thermal, hydrological, wind, seismic and secondary) cease to be “static” and evolve into a dynamic, shifting risk framework. Practical issues are examined such as performance-based seismic and flood design, the strengthening of existing structures, the resilience of infrastructure under extreme events, and how new climate data affect foundations, materials, façade detailing, runoff and drainage design.

The discussion brings together the perspectives of specialist designers/consultants, construction companies and an institutional owner/investor: how resilience is priced in CAPEX and reflected in LCC, what level of redundancy and robustness is technically and economically realistic, and how the requirements of Funds and institutional bodies are changing the criteria applied to real estate and infrastructure projects. The panel analyses examples where embedding resilience at an early design stage limited future risks of failure, operational downtime and asset devaluation, and conversely cases where underestimation of climate risk led to cost overruns, retrofits and difficulties in obtaining insurance. Under the moderation of Nikos Karagiannis, the discussion remains centred on the technical question of how “resilience” is translated into a comprehensive system of specifications, checks and investment criteria.

Guests include:

–Dr. Gregory Penelis, CEO, Penelis Consulting Engineers

–Dr. Antonis Panas, General Director, TEKAL

–Panos Panayiotides, CEO, P.DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Panel moderator: Nikos Karagiannis, journalist, ypodomes.com