Globally frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events are increasing, and their impacts are intensified in cities due to the urban heat island effect. The Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre is at the forefront of supporting the IFRC and the National Societies, vulnerable communities and cities to reduce the adverse impact of extreme heat.

The 2023 IPCC report indicates that cities are places where observed climate change has caused adverse impacts on human health, livelihoods and key infrastructure (high confidence), and that these impacts are likely to continue to intensify as climate change progresses and the human population becomes increasingly urbanized (though rural populations also face heat risks). Increasing heat risks combined with rapid urbanization trends, especially in Africa and Southeast Asia, and aging population trends, for example in Europe, result in a need to scale action to prevent impacts on lives, health and wellbeing. 

While buildings designed without consideration for heat -in cold and temperate climates- are at risk of summertime overheating, a growing number of people living informally will face potentially severe impacts from heat stress that have previously been overlooked or underestimated.  Architects, engineers and city planners play a crucial role in addressing both the causes and effects of climate change through the design of the built environment, public spaces, and selection of construction materials, particularly in cities.

We believe that innovative design thinking is key to developing practical solutions that can easily be adapted by the most affected population groups to reduce the adverse impacts of extreme heat. This design competition aims to stimulate creative/adaptive thinking among today’s architecture/urban design students to envision a climate adaptive future in cities and come up with innovative building designs to tackle the heat risks.