Designing school buildings vs climate change
With the opening of classes just around the corner, there is a need to address the design on which we base the construction of Philippine school buildings to make them resistant to the effects of climate change.
The effects of climate change include economic losses, threats to biodiversity, food security challenges, public health risks, and increased susceptibility for marginalized groups. Apart from such threats, education in the Philippines is also highly affected because of the frequent suspension of classes due to extreme weather conditions that could pose serious threat to learners.
In the past 10 years, destructive typhoons have become significant manifestations of climate change. Excessive and serious flooding renders roads and even schools constructed in low lying areas inaccessible. Moreover, in the past three years, a higher heat index has posed a major problem for Filipino learners.
Such concerns have led to studies that advocate designing climate-resilient public schools with modern, climate-adaptive features to enable school structures to better withstand and recover from climate-related disruptions. This will not only improve resilience but also ensure that students can continue their education without being severely affected by any weather disturbance.
It is important to note that the link between high temperatures and poor learning outcomes is well-documented. Several studies show that extreme heat, especially when sustained over several hours, negatively affects cognitive functions, leading to lower test scores and reduced learning retention. A study of United States’ high school students published in the American Economic Journal in 2020 found that they performed worse on standardized tests when they were exposed to higher temperatures. The research also found that much of the adverse effects of high temperatures on learning could be mitigated by air conditioning (if schools have it). However, a significant portion of the electricity used for cooling comes from burning fossil fuels such as coal, which contributes to global warming. Therefore, building climate-resilient schools is the only sustainable solution.
Unicef has initiated the mission to build disaster-resilient schools by proposing innovations that reimagine how school buildings are designed and constructed to withstand a number of phenomena which are the direct results of climate change. Among these are earthquakes, extreme flooding in low-lying areas, destructive winds, and recently, a high heat index. If the Unicef’s building designs are taken into consideration, they can provide global standards which will ensure resilience, sustainability, and protection against any physical threat.
The Department of Public Works and Highways is already promoting climate-resilient infrastructure projects to enhance the durability and safety of the country’s facilities. Furthermore, in 2024, Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto sealed a financing agreement with the World Bank–International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to rebuild over 3,000 climate-resilient schools damaged by typhoons to support students’ learning needs. The Infrastructure for Safer and Resilient Schools Project involves the repair, rehabilitation, retrofitting, and reconstruction of school facilities affected by natural hazards between 2019 and 2023 in all regions outside Metro Manila.
In today’s fast-paced world where extreme climate conditions such as a higher heat index are becoming more prevalent, resilience is one of the key solutions we can adapt to address these problems. While it may not completely stop the pressing issue of climate change, it can help mitigate its impact. This approach will not only benefit Filipino students but also support Filipino communities in adapting to the detrimental effects of climate change.
Finally, we must understand that we all have a role to play in addressing climate change, and that the time to act is now. By advocating and promoting designs to build climate change-resilient infrastructures, we can build schools and communities that can resist earthquakes, extreme heat, and stronger typhoons to ensure a safer future for Filipino children.
No one can solve this crisis alone—every effort matters, whether in adopting sustainable practices and way of doing things at home or advocating for climate-adaptive policies, in this case, in the way we design and build climate-change adaptive school buildings. Each step brings us closer to protecting our families and communities from natural dangers. Let’s take action now, for the sake of Filipino learners by giving them schools that will shelter and protect them, no matter the environmental condition our country may have at a specific moment.
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Bennegreg Pamplona Siman is president of STERN ASIA Corp.
