At a seminar on building cooling strategies in the late 1990s, I vividly remember hearing that “in 30 years' time, the climate of London will feel like Marseille’s today”. That warning stuck with me. Back then, it sounded both alarming and oddly appealing.
Three decades on, it no longer feels theoretical. As a Londoner of Mediterranean origin, I’ve lived through the shift. When I co-wrote The Architecture of Natural Cooling, I drew not only on professional expertise but also on childhood memories of white walls, shady courtyards and shuttered windows. These ancient techniques – once suited to the Mediterranean – now hold lessons for modern Britain, where heatwaves are becoming the new normal.
