90% of Buildings at Risk
TU Delft's playbook warns that 90% of current buildings won't survive 2050's climate — and proposes future façades that could cut HVAC demand by 40% and enable 70% material reuse using AI sensors. (x.com)
The guidance is the product of TU Delft teams that span the ReStruct research group (Sustainable Structures & Materials) and the university’s AiDAPT lab for AI-driven design — both groups publish ongoing work on adaptive façades and data-driven lifecycle decisions. (restructgroup-tudelft.nl; tudelft.nl/en/ai/aidapt) A TU Delft research strand called “ThinkingSkins” establishes a conceptual framework for cyber‑physical façades and reports a working prototype that coordinates multiple façade functions (shading, ventilation, sensing) through embedded control. (tudelft.nl/en/architecture-and-the-built-environment/research/research-stories/paving-the-way-for-a-new-generation-of-intelligent-facades/) ReStruct’s RECLIMATE project has produced probabilistic heat‑risk assessment models and integrates those models into multi‑hazard resilience tools for building retrofit decision-making. (restructgroup-tudelft.nl/reclimate) Dr. Simona Bianchi of ReStruct is named technical lead on the €7.5 million Horizon Europe MULTICARE project, which advances digital tools and low‑damage, low‑carbon façade technologies for resilient buildings. (restructgroup-tudelft.nl/people/dr.-simona-bianchi; restructgroup-tudelft.nl) TU Delft is pairing research with education and pilots: it runs a “Performance‑based Façade Design” course and an online “Buildings as Sustainable Energy Systems” programme to translate façade performance research into practitioner skills. (learningforlife.tudelft.nl/performance-based-facade-design/; learningforlife.tudelft.nl/buildings-as-sustainable-energy-systems/) The university is demonstrating campus‑scale measures alongside the research, having commissioned an operational geothermal well and set a target for a carbon‑neutral campus by 2030 as a testbed for retrofit and energy strategies. (tudelft.nl/en/sustainability/campus-projects/providing-reliable-affordable-and-sustainable-energy-for-all-campus-buildings) TU Delft has scheduled public “Playbook” workshops under its Climate Action Programme to share methodologies and tools with practitioners, with a Playbook workshop listed for April 17, 2026. (tudelft.nl/en/events/2026/climate-action-programme/beyond-boundaries-a-playbook-workshop-for-societal-transitions-and-climate-action)
