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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Overheating adaptations in acclimatised Singaporeans: Do spatial adaptation options matter? A pilot study Tanjong Pagar CBD case study

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Climate responsive design aims to mitigate extreme heat by consciously integrating climate principles inurban architectures and developments. Thereby, the adoption of climate-responsive design in urbanareas is foreseen to increase the adaptation capacities of urban dwellers to overheating. However,behavioural overheating adaptation can also be aspatial (e.g. a change in activity program, clothes, orfood regime), and thus not depend on the quality of outdoor spaces. According to the behaviouralplanned theory, the selection of one of these is determined by the individual knowledge of heatadaptation options, its transaction capacities with its daily routines, and cultural beliefs giving itscommunity belonging.We investigated the nature of the overheating adaptation strategies in the densely-built city-state ofSingapore for different extreme thermal perceptions so as to determine whenever and when spacematters in individual overheating coping strategies in a tropical climate and mature tertiary society. Weused the records of two biometeorological campaigns aiming to assess the thermal sensitivity ofacclimatized Singaporeans, which were, on occasion, extended with a survey questionnaire dedicated tooverheating behavioural adaptation. Unsurprisingly, extreme sun, rain, and heat triggered adaptativestrategies, while extreme humidity and wind did not. Rain adaptation was mainly aspatial, while extremesun and heat triggered a mix of spatial and aspatial strategies with more option diversity for the sunthan for the heat. Some adaptation options were mutualized as for the air conditioning to cope both withextreme heat and humidity sensations. Last, not all the selected adaptation options reflected thenational Singaporean programs aiming to promote outdoors: urban parks, seafront or large waterreserves although supporting the “city in a garden” marketing were declared to be less used thannaturally and artificially covered roads developed close to house units to foster active mobility.