Passive retrofit strategies for climate-resilient high-rise social housing: evidence from sydney under current and future extreme climate conditions
- 1School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), NSW, 2052, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), NSW, 2052, Australia; City Futures Research Centre (CFRC), University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), NSW, 2052, Australia
- 2School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), NSW, 2052, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), NSW, 2052, Australia
Abstract
Warming climates are intensifying thermal stress in cities, disproportionately affecting vulnerable households living in aging, government-subsidised social housing that often lacks adequate insulation and air conditioning. Extreme indoor temperatures pose growing health risks, increasing pressure on urban authorities to identify passive retrofit strategies that are scalable, low-energy, and resilient under future climate conditions. This study evaluates the effectiveness of passive retrofits (i.e., envelope insulation, improved glazing, overhang shading, reflective paint, and increased window openings) in two naturally ventilated high-rise social housing buildings in Sydney, Australia, under both current (Typical Meteorological Year) and mid-century (RCP4.5, 2050) climate scenarios. Using dynamic thermal simulations, indoor operative temperatures are assessed against critical thresholds (below 16 °C and above 30 °C), with results analysed across seasons, building orientation, and floor levels to capture spatial patterns of urban thermal risk. Results show that climate warming increases extreme overheating hours by up to 74%, with pronounced disparities between west- and east-facing dwellings and between lower and upper floors. Overhang shading delivers the greatest reduction in heat exposure, reducing hot hours by up to 50% under future climate conditions, while external mineral wool achieves the largest reduction in cold hours (up to 25%) under current conditions. Double glazing provides the most balanced year-round performance across both buildings, while existing tree shading contributes to lower overheating exposure on the lower floors. The results demonstrate the importance of seasonally and spatially differentiated strategies for urban climate adaptation and offer a transferable, policy-relevant framework to support retrofit prioritisation in high-rise buildings in cities with similar climates.
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BibTeX
@article{abousaeidi2026passive,
title = {{Passive retrofit strategies for climate-resilient high-rise social housing: evidence from sydney under current and future extreme climate conditions}},
author = {Mohammad Abousaeidi and Gloria Pignatta and Negin Nazarian},
journal = {City and Environment Interactions},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.cacint.2026.100497},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cacint.2026.100497},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Passive retrofit strategies for climate-resilient high-rise social housing: evidence from sydney under current and future extreme climate conditions
AU - Mohammad Abousaeidi
AU - Gloria Pignatta
AU - Negin Nazarian
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - City and Environment Interactions
DO - 10.1016/j.cacint.2026.100497
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cacint.2026.100497
AB - Warming climates are intensifying thermal stress in cities, disproportionately affecting vulnerable households living in aging, government-subsidised social housing that often lacks adequate insulation and air conditioning. Extreme indoor temperatures pose growing health risks, increasing pressure on urban authorities to identify passive retrofit strategies that are scalable, low-energy, and resilient under future climate conditions. This study evaluates the effectiveness of passive retrofits (i.e., envelope insulation, improved glazing, overhang shading, reflective paint, and increased window openings) in two naturally ventilated high-rise social housing buildings in Sydney, Australia, under both current (Typical Meteorological Year) and mid-century (RCP4.5, 2050) climate scenarios. Using dynamic thermal simulations, indoor operative temperatures are assessed against critical thresholds (below 16 °C and above 30 °C), with results analysed across seasons, building orientation, and floor levels to capture spatial patterns of urban thermal risk. Results show that climate warming increases extreme overheating hours by up to 74%, with pronounced disparities between west- and east-facing dwellings and between lower and upper floors. Overhang shading delivers the greatest reduction in heat exposure, reducing hot hours by up to 50% under future climate conditions, while external mineral wool achieves the largest reduction in cold hours (up to 25%) under current conditions. Double glazing provides the most balanced year-round performance across both buildings, while existing tree shading contributes to lower overheating exposure on the lower floors. The results demonstrate the importance of seasonally and spatially differentiated strategies for urban climate adaptation and offer a transferable, policy-relevant framework to support retrofit prioritisation in high-rise buildings in cities with similar climates.
SN - 2590-2520
ER -