Exeter climate research is key to modelling tool that aims to decarbonise buildings

A new weather modelling tool shows the crucial role of engineering and climate science in the buildings of the future.  

Met.box (Meteorological dataset Based On Climate Change Scenario) is a set of future meteorological data that allows builders and architects to evaluate their projects through the lens of climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience.

Data sets are based on climate change scenarios defined by the IPCC, which can be used to evaluate anything from energy consumption to the greenhouse gas emissions of a new or retrofitted new office building by 2050, or the resilience of a new block of flats faced with an extreme weather event.  

Met.box was developed by Takenaka Corporation, a global Japanese architecture, engineering, and construction firm with partners including the University of Exeter, whose researchers Professor Mat Collins, Joint Met Office Chair in Climate Change, and Dr Matt Eames, a senior lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, supplied Takenaka’s sustainable design team with weather modelling datasets that incorporate the latest climate science.

It will be used for new building projects as well as for retrofits and is applicable to a variety of building types.  

Professor Collins said: “Climate change is not some problem for the future. It is happening now and any infrastructure that is currently being planned needs to take it into account. In this project we are combining the University’s expertise in both Engineering and Climate Science to advise on how to climate-proof future buildings.”

Met.box builds on the researchers’ expertise in climate projections and weather modelling, including Dr Eames’ ongoing project to revise the UK’s Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) weather files and enhance their climate services, as well as a project that seeks to create localised weather files for the entire UK until 2080.

Met.box covers nearly 1,000 locations throughout Japan as it looks to remove some of the guesswork out of the decarbonisation of plans for new builds and retrofits by using precise future weather predictions rather than relying on historical weather data.  

It can also help new buildings adapt to shifts in climate by predicting how these changes will affect factors such as thermal loads, which allows for the right air conditioning systems to be chosen, as well as ensure there’s space for future upgrades, and the best performing materials are selected.  

Its ability to predict changes in climate will also boost climate resilience, allowing for business continuity plans that take into account the increased risks from extreme weather, helping prevent unexpected damages and ensuring safety and functionality.

Dr Eames said: “The resilience of the built environment and our ability to achieve net zero is dependent on being able to design our buildings taking into account of climate change, so tools like these are fundamental to achieving these goals.”

Some of the data will be made publicly available to help builders, planners and other stakeholders make more informed decisions about environmental sustainability, which in the long term will make net zero more achievable.