Each month, PTE's Knowledge Hub team will explore the complexities and technical challenges British project architects face every day.

The clocks have gone forward. Spring has sprung. And ‘Global Shading Day’ has been and gone. Missed it? Don’t worry - at PTE, it was an important moment, marking a shift in how we tackle overheating in homes. Here’s how we ‘celebrated’ this lesser-known event.

For a start, it coincided with the launch of our new overheating assessment service on Friday, March 21st - the Spring equinox, which we discuss in more detail below. That same day, the Shading for a Resilient Future exhibition opened at The Building Centre, curated by Shade the UK. At the launch event, we discussed how rising temperatures and climate change are reshaping the built environment.

The overheating challenge can’t be ignored. 2024 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. Europe, warming at double this rate, is now beyond the safe 1.5°C climate threshold. Overheating is no longer just an inconvenience; it is a public health crisis. In 2022, heat-related deaths in England reached 4,500 - on par with deaths from cold (UKHSA, 2023). While government funding has focused on insulating homes against the cold, overheating remains an afterthought.

Despite increasing awareness, many homes remain vulnerable. Overheating assessments are typically conducted late in the design process - as a compliance check for planning and building regulations - when it’s often too late to make meaningful design changes. As a result, new homes continue to be built with overheating risks, sometimes requiring costly cooling solutions.

To address this, we’ve launched an overheating assessment service to ensure all our designs meet the latest standards (CIBSE TM59 and Approved Document Part O). This proactive approach allows us to design low-cost, low-carbon homes that maintain a comfortable temperature year-round - homes that are, as Goldilocks would say, ‘just right.’

Unlike standard compliance checks, our in-house expertise ensures that homes are optimised for climate resilience from the outset. This service applies to both new builds and retrofits, helping to future-proof homes while reducing energy costs for residents.

By integrating overheating assessments at the earliest stages, we can refine orientation, shading, and window treatments to minimise risks. This approach is already improving outcomes, saving clients time and money while enhancing residents' comfort and wellbeing.

Both the GHA shading guide and the exhibition showcase practical solutions for adapting to rising temperatures, including solar shading strategies. If you have a spare few hours Shading for a Resilient Future is well worth a visit - it runs until April 24th.