Heat waves are no longer limited to the countries of southern Europe. The North has also been affected by the high temperatures that many European countries have ravaged this summer. These episodes manifest each time with greater intensity and frequency reflecting how little prepared northern countries are.
And this is not only affecting the thermometers, extreme temperatures have a high impact on the environment, but also in public health and the regional economy of cities in the center and north of the European continent, as published by the specialized medium .
“The absence of blinds in buildings or sufficient shadow in the streets, as well as urban planning and railway infrastructures little thought for high temperatures make the cities of the center and northern Europe in especially vulnerable to heat waves, an increasingly frequent phenomenon,” he remarks.
The dean of the Official College of Architects of Madrid (COAM), Sigfredo Herráez, points to the specialized environment that this “protection” in front of heat is a culture “very much from southern Europe” and that in the countries of the center and north they will end up adapting.
According to the UN, the pattern that marked the end of June and the beginning of July – with record temperatures in countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands or Switzerland – reflects a growing trend, with phenomena that will become increasingly frequent and intense.
In the countries of northern Europe, buildings have broad windows to seek little light in winter. However, this becomes increasingly an inconvenience in summer, since the sun gives fully against the crystals, raising the temperature inside.
Therefore, Herráez predicts that in these countries “blinds and contraventas will begin to appear.” The architect reviews the wooden blinds that, in Spain, open to the first and last hours of the day to allow the entry of fresh air and that close during the day, preventing the sun from penetrating directly.
