Climate change is attacking coastal infrastructure.
Sea level rise, severe storms and unpredictable weather events are impacting buildings, roads and utilities along coastlines around the world.
The good news? Proper building engineering design and climate adaptation strategies can protect coastal communities. Here’s the problem.
If you want that protection, you need to start planning now.
Here’s how to get it right…
What you’ll pick up:
- Why Climate Adaptation Is Important For Coastal Infrastructure Planning
- Biggest Threats Facing Coastal Infrastructure
- 5 Climate Adaptation Strategies For Coastal Buildings That Work
- How To Choose The Right Adaptation Strategy For Your Project
Why Climate Adaptation Is Important For Coastal Infrastructure Planning
Let’s get one thing straight…
Approximately 40% of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometres of a coastline. Billions of people rely on coastal infrastructure to keep their homes, businesses and communities safe and functional.
Coastal infrastructure doesn’t just include houses. Ports, power stations, transportation networks and commercial buildings also need to be adapted to climate change.
Building engineering design needs to take climate change into account from day zero. That means engineers and planners designing infrastructure in coastal regions like Auckland need to consider sea level rise, storm surges, heavier rainfall events and coastal erosion during the initial design process.
If infrastructure isn’t designed with climate adaptation in mind, it’s only going to create future problems.
Building infrastructure that can stand up to climate change won’t just save lives. It will also save money in repair costs, rebuilds and disaster recovery efforts down the track.
Biggest Threats Facing Coastal Infrastructure
Before getting into solutions, it’s important to understand the threats that climate change poses to coastal infrastructure.
Sea Level Rise
Sea level rise is the mother of all threats when it comes to coastal flooding.
The rate of global sea level rise has more than doubled over the last 20 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization. From 2.1 mm per year to 4.7 mm per year. While this may not sound like much, the impact of sea level rise becomes significant over decades.
Higher sea levels lead to flooding during storms, yes. But they also increase erosion, cause saltwater intrusion into buildings and damage underground infrastructure.
Extreme Weather Events
Hurricanes, cyclones and heavy rainfall events are already destroying coastlines around the world. These storms are only expected to get worse as the planet warms.
Just look at the statistics from the United States in 2024. There were 27 separate weather disasters which exceeded $1 billion USD each in damages. And much of that burden was shouldered by coastal infrastructure.
Coastal Erosion
As a result of sea level rise and more extreme weather events, coastlines are eroding faster than ever.
Buildings that were safe a few decades ago can now find themselves metres closer to sea. Not only does this increase flood risk, but also the damage caused by storms.
5 Climate Adaptation Strategies For Coastal Buildings That Work
There are five main climate adaptation strategies that engineers and planners can implement during the design process. If you want your coastal infrastructure to stand a chance against climate change, adaptation needs to be considered from day zero.
Here are five strategies that will work.
1. Elevated Building Design
You might be thinking, “well duh, just build things higher.”
Simply putting buildings and critical infrastructure on stilts isn’t enough on its own. But elevation is one of the simplest and most effective strategies for adapting to sea level rise.
Here are some examples of how to build higher:
- Increase the height of finished floor levels above flood levels
- Elevate mechanical and electrical services
- Design foundations that can be adapted for future sea level rise
- Build on stilts/piling in high-risk flood zones
The key to this strategy working is making sure you do your flood modelling homework first.
2. Nature-Based Solutions
Nature-based solutions have been gaining ground as one of the best ways to adapt coastal infrastructure to climate change.
Placing huge sheets of concrete along the coastline isn’t the answer. Nature-based solutions use things like mangrove restoration, building dune systems, creating wetlands and living shorelines to buffer against flooding and sea level rise.
But here’s the best part…
Studies show that using nature-based solutions can often be cheaper than hard infrastructure. Not to mention they provide other benefits like creating habitats, improving water quality and many more.
3. Resilient Materials And Construction Methods
Have you ever noticed how regular concrete and steel tend to not last as long near the coast?
Saltwater and humidity are a nightmare for buildings if they’re not designed with resilience in mind. That’s why using materials that can stand up to climate change and salt corrosion is so important.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Marine grade concrete with higher durability ratings
- Non-corrosive reinforcement
- Weather resistant cladding and building facades
- Flexible structural systems that can handle heavy storm loads
Investing in resilient materials and construction techniques now will save millions in repair costs later.
4. Adaptive Infrastructure Planning
Building infrastructure that can adapt to climate change might seem like a no brainer.
But too often infrastructure is designed to the specifications of todays climate. Building engineers and planners should be thinking about how infrastructure can be adapted or upgraded as conditions change.
Here’s how:
Sea walls could be built with foundations that allow for future height increases. Drainage could be oversized to cope with future rainfall events. Design buildings with modular pieces that can be easily retrofitted.
Building with flexibility in mind is one of the smartest climate adaptation strategies.
5. Integrated Flood Management Systems
When it comes to climate adaptation, nothing works quite like flood management systems.
And not stand-alone solutions either. By integrating several layers of protection, the risk of flooding in coastal infrastructure is drastically reduced.
Here’s what an integrated approach would look like:
- Sea walls and levees provide the first layer of protection from storm surges
- Green infrastructure (think: rain gardens and permeable surfaces)
- Stormwater systems should also be upgraded to handle larger flood events
- Implement real-time flood monitoring and warning systems
When one layer is compromised, there’s another defence to fall back on.
How To Choose The Right Strategy
Let’s be honest, there is no silver bullet solution for climate adaptation.
Different sites, budgets and risk assessments will require different approaches. However, that doesn’t mean you can only choose one strategy.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Start with a risk assessment. You can’t plan for adaptation until you know what you’re up against.
- Combine strategies! Using a hybrid approach will always beat a single solution.
- Think long-term. Design your buildings and infrastructure to withstand climate conditions 50-100 years in the future.
Successfully adapting to climate change requires cross collaboration between engineers, planners, environmental scientists and the communities they work with.
The Bottom Line
Building climate change resilient infrastructure along coastlines is no longer a choice.
Rising sea levels, larger storms, increased precipitation and coastal erosion are changing the way infrastructure needs to be designed in coastal areas.
Let’s quickly recap:
- Know the threats. Every coastal site is at risk from climate change but understanding the specific risks will help you tailor your strategy
- Elevate where possible. Build buildings and critical infrastructure off the ground where possible
- Pair hard infrastructure with nature-based solutions
- Use materials that can stand up to coastal living
- Build with flexibility in mind so you can adapt infrastructure as climate change progresses
Your customers, clients and community will thank you for it in the long run.
Climate change isn’t waiting for you to adapt. So you better start planning now.