Professor Gupta contributed to the National Retrofit Hub's first national summit, "Retrofit, Obviously!", held in London (24 September 2026), under the theme "A Shared Vision for a Strong Retrofit System." Rajat delivered a presentation and took part in the panel discussion. The one-day event brought together policymakers, community organisations, local authorities, housing providers, industry, finance, health, and academia to explore how a shared retrofit system can unlock

Lizzy Curtis from the Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) team presented key research insights from HEARTH, ARCADE, and THERM-UK programmes, alongside work led by Dale Hoyland at the Local Government Association’s webinar, Turning Ambition into Action: Decarbonising Health and Social Care Locally, on 16 September 2026. The session explored key opportunities, challenges, and current activities surrounding the decarbonisation of local health and social care infrastructure. The OC

Professor Rajat Gupta delivered a keynote on Indoor air quality, overheating and health at the Building Pathology Conference 2026 (BP26), hosted by H+R SOCOTEC Building Pathology and Heritage in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, Oxford (10-11 September 2026), under the theme "Solving tomorrow's problems today." The two-day programme brought together researchers, practitioners, and industry leaders, with sessions on property flood resilience, heritage retrofit, overh

Building Heat Resilience: From Evidence to Action HEARTH International Symposium 2026 Last week, we brought together researchers, policymakers, public health and healthcare professionals, built-environment practitioners and international experts at Oxford Brookes University for the HEARTH Annual Assembly 2026. Across 7–9 September, the Assembly provided an important opportunity to reflect on progress across the National Hub on Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat (HEARTH), share

The WS1 team from the University of Leeds, Professor Cathryn Birch and Dr Carly Reddington, presented a poster on their analysis of past and future UK humid heatwaves at the National Climate Impacts, Risk and Adaptation Meeting in Leeds (8–9 September 2026). The presentation showcased an assessment of UK humid heatwave events from 1980 to 2026, featuring detailed case studies of the July 2022 and June 2026 heatwaves alongside preliminary projections of future humid heatwave r

Rajat Gupta contributed to an expert interview with the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), highlighting the need to better align net-zero policy with passive cooling, indoor environmental monitoring and equity-sensitive climate adaptation. The discussion focused on three key principles: Moving beyond mapping outdoor climate hazards to understanding people’s actual exposure to heat within buildings. Recognising how care settings, housing quality and tenu

Professor Rajat Gupta was featured in an iNews article on 31 July 2026, exploring how cool roofs can help buildings cope with severe heatwaves. Key points cover: Passive heat reduction: Reflective coatings reduce solar absorption and lower indoor temperatures, offering a simple, low-carbon cooling strategy for exposed top-floor homes. Whole-building approach: Reflective surfaces are most effective when paired with external shading, insulation, and effective ventilation. Redu

Professor Rajat Gupta delivered a keynote on HEARTH at the 38th International Passive and Low Energy Architecture Conference (PLEA 2026) on Sustainable Architecture and Urban Design, hosted by the University of Costa Rica in San José (27-31 July 2026), under the theme "Common Sense Architecture: Harnessing Local Wisdom for Sustainable Futures." Bringing together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from over 40 countries, the conference explored passive design, local

A major milestone has been reached with the publication of the flagship HEARTH hub-level paper in the ECEEE 2026 Summer Study Proceedings, titled: Extreme Heat, Health Inequalities, and the Net Zero Transition: Future Directions. Led by HEARTH Director Professor Rajat Gupta, this publication represents a major collaborative achievement, bringing together the expertise of 33 co-authors from across universities, the NHS, local government, and research organisations within the H

The second Hospital Working Group (HWG) meeting, chaired by Professor Shakoor Hajat, held on 16 July 2026. The meeting brought together over 25 participants from the HEARTH team and external stakeholders across NHS Trusts, sustainability organisations, and academic institutions. Key topics covered: Progress updates across the HEARTH programme related to hospitals, alongside insights from PPIE activities with patients and hospital staff. Cooling interventions in hospital sett

The second London Working Group (LWG) meeting, chaired by Professor Anna Mavrogianni, held on 6 July 2026. The meeting brought together 24 participants from the HEARTH team and external stakeholders across national government, public organisations, the third sector, industry, and academia. Key topics covered: Progress updates across the HEARTH programme, with a particular focus on London. An overview of the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Heat Ready London initiative. Reflec

The Healthy Buildings Network (HBN) hosted its annual Showcase Event on 2 July 2026 at University House, University of Leeds. Centred on the theme "Showcasing Interdisciplinary Research for Healthier Buildings," the event brought together leading researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to celebrate funded project outcomes and shape the future direction of healthy building science. Professor Rajat Gupta represented the HEARTH Hub across two major sessions: Hub lightning

HEARTH contributes to Age UK London’s submission to the London Assembly via the Planning and Regeneration Committee. Age UK London’s submission to the London Assembly This document contains the written evidence received by the Committee in response to its Call for Evidence, which formed part of its investigation into whether London’s homes are ready for a heatwave. In March 2026 the Committee published a number of questions related to its investigation, which can be found on

HEARTH is featured as part of the London Heat delivery plan, advising the authors of London Heat Plan. Characterise the scale and extent of overheating in London's healthcare estate: Utilise these findings to develop a standardised approach to assessing heat vulnerability across healthcare estates. Collate evidence from NHS EPRR (Emergency Preparedness, Resilience, and Response) Core Standards reports to inform a comprehensive assessment of system-wide heat risks.

The HEARTH team made wide-ranging contributions across London Climate Action Week 2026, driving critical discussions on climate adaptation, built environment risks, and public health. This included Professor Anna Mavrogianni joined an expert panel at the Sidara Collaborative HQ on "Designing for 2050 climates: Are we missing the real risks?" during an actual London heatwave, which highlighted low industry confidence in future building performance and the urgent need to addres

The HEARTH team’s expert analysis of climate adaptation and public health has dominated high-profile news broadcasts and international publications during recent extreme weather events. The widespread media appearances highlight how the team is leading the global narrative on urban heat mitigation, public health equity, and built environment infrastructure. These media contributions collectively showcase the HEARTH team's profound impact on shaping public policy and public a

Professor Rajat Gupta presented "Building Heat Resilience in Older People’s Housing: Understanding Heat Exposure, Lived Experiences and Health Outcomes" at the British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Annual Conference 2026 (24-26 June) on behalf of HEARTH team. Held at Oxford Brookes University, the session highlighted on how indoor heat exposure directly impacts older residents' health and lived experiences. Professor Rajat Gupta presenting the "HEARTH Building Heat Resilience

Professor Rajat Gupta, delivered the closing keynote presentation at the Healthy Homes Hub Summer Ideas Exchange in London on 22 June 2026. Reflecting on the 3,000+ excess deaths during the UK's 2022 heatwaves, he highlighted how extreme heat has emerged as a critical, unequal health and housing risk. His presentation detailed the work of HEARTH, which uses climate modelling, occupant surveys, and health impact analyses to evaluate overheating risks from "region to room." He

On 22 June 2026, the ARCHI and HEARTH teams hosted NHS staff workshop to gather frontline experiences of working in healthcare environments during extreme heat events and to evaluate potential cooling strategies. This workshop highlighted a clear consensus that the NHS must transition from reactive emergency cooling measures, such as scrambling for portable air conditioning units, towards proactive, long-term estate planning that integrates overheating mitigation directly in

The HEARTH team is working with Oxfordshire County Council on the Heat Safe Project, which aims to develop and distribute Cool Packs to vulnerable households and provide training for professionals delivering the packs during summer 2026. The programme will be accompanied by an evaluation of its implementation and impacts. Heat Safe Homes Cool Pack Workshop (17 June 2026) co-chaired by Anna Mavrogianni and Rajat Gupta brought together 28 cross-sector participants to co-design

The second Care Settings Working Group (CSWG) meeting, chaired by Professor Mike Davies, held on 8 June 2026. The meeting convened to review the latest Well-Adapted UK report alongside HEARTH’s ongoing research into care settings, specifically focusing on data surrounding excess summer deaths in care homes, followed by a collaborative discussion on integrating these insights into future policy. The meeting had 20 participants from academia, public sector, housing organisatio

Professor Rajat Gupta presented the HEARTH poster on "Extreme Heat, Health Inequalities, and the Net Zero Transition: Future directions" at the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy Summer Study, ECEEE 2026, in France, Center Parcs, Lac d'Ailette in the Hauts-de-France region (1-6 June 2026), which received very positive feedback from the audience.

The newly released A Well-Adapted UK report has issued a stark warning that heat resilience cannot continue to be treated as an afterthought. With heat identified as a serious and growing threat to the UK, the HEARTH team lies at the absolute forefront of this national agenda: Rising mortality projections: Heat-related deaths could rise to more than 10,000 in an average year. Health and productivity impacts: Overheating leads to an increased risk of death and illness, alongsi

A housing development in East London Environmental monitoring sensors have now been installed in 20 participating homes, with deployment continuing across the remaining recruited households. An extra care housing development in Wallingford, Oxfordshire 35 flats have been recruited so far, with indoor environmental monitoring sensors installed across the recruited homes. A care home in Oxford Environmental monitoring sensors have been installed across a range of locations, in

Professor Anna Mavrogianni was interviewed by London Centric on 27 May 2026 as part of an article entitled "London's air con era is here", in response to the recent May heatwave.

Hot Brain 4 conference hosted by the UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences on 12 May 2026, where she chaired the afternoon sessions and panel discussion. This year's conference focused on understanding the mechanisms through which climate change affects human and brain health. Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRC) and the Local Authority Public Health Research Network (LAPHRN): Making Research Stronger Together conference at London South Bank University on 6 May 2026, w

The first Hospital Working Group (HWG), chaired by Professor Shakoor Hajat, held on 11 May 2026. The HWG provides strategic oversight, and expert input into Hub activities. The meeting had 30 attendees from HEARTH team members and external partners, representing a broad range of organisations across academia, the public sector, healthcare, and industry, including: Academic institutions: Oxford Brookes University (OBU), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Uni

Professor Catherine Birch and Dr Caryl Reddington presented a poster on their HEARTH WS1 research, "Humid Heatwaves in the UK: Meteorological Drivers and Health Impacts", at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2026 (EGU26) in Vienna, Austria between 3 and 8 May 2026. The poster was presented within Session NH1.9 on Extreme heat, its drivers, and societal impacts. The work explores the meteorological characteristics of humid heat extremes in the UK and their pote

To recruit case study households at a housing development in East London for the Climate Resilience Project, two in-person resident engagement events were held on 18 and 20 April 2026, followed by two online sessions on 28 April 2026. Residents were proactively informed about these events via recruitment posters shared by email and physical displays. The schedule included weekend, weekday, afternoon, and evening sessions to increase accessibility and maximise resident partic

The first London Working Group (LWG), chaired by Professor Anna Mavrogianni, held on 23 April 2026. The LWG provides strategic oversight, and expert input into Hub activities. The meeting had 25 attendees from HEARTH team members and external partners, including Academic institution: Oxford Brookes University, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University College London, and University of Leeds Industry: AtkinsRéalis National & local government: Department for En

WS2 research on spatial vulnerability analysis, prepared by Dr Clare Heaviside and Dr Giandomenico Vurro, was presented at the Geographic Information Science Research UK (GISRUK 2026) conference in Birmingham (14 and 17 April 2026). A portion of the methodology was delivered as an oral presentation by Dr Giandomenico Vurro, receiving positive feedback from the academic community. The research focused on the Greater London Area, comparing daily mean, maximum, and minimum temp

The first Care Settings Working Group (CSWG), chaired by Professor Mike Davies, took place on 25 March 2026. The session introduced the CSWG and clarified its Terms of Reference and membership, reviewed the HEARTH Theory of Change for care settings, and provided an overview of ongoing projects, including ClimaCare, ARCADE, HEARTH, and THERM-UK. The workshop also outlined planned research in care settings, ensuring alignment between current initiatives and future study objecti

Professors Anna Mavrogianni and Rajat Gupta participated as panel members at the MACC workshop in Cardiff, Wales on 5 March 2026. The event provided an opportunity to showcase the work of both ARCADE and HEARTH projects, engage with organisations working on climate adaptation, and strengthen networks across Wales.

Professor Anna Mavrogianni and Professor Rajat Gupta attended the London Climate Ready Partnership Forum on Tackling Heat Risks in London on 27 February 2026 to introduce HEARTH and London Working Group. They met with members of the team supporting the London Assembly Planning & Regeneration Committee at the Greater London Authority, who are scoping out investigations in planning, overheating, climate resilience of the built environment, and air conditioning, to discuss exis

Professor Shakoor Hajat introduced HEARTH in a keynote talk on current priorities for climate and health research at the 2026 Symposium for Environmental Epidemiology in East Asia , held at Seoul National University on 1st February 2026. He engaged with leading scholars to discuss air pollution, climate change, and future directions for regional collaboration in environmental epidemiology. He also delivered keynotes entitled “Current Climate and Health Research in the UK” as

Dr Hugh Waddington participated in the BSI Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 20501 Scoping Workshop on the human health benefits of net zero actions, held on 21–22 January 2026. The workshop aimed to refine the scope of the PAS and develop a contents list for its forthcoming development.

Professor Rajat Gupta delivered a keynote address at the National Housing Maintenance Forum (NHMF) Conference on 20 January 2026 in Stratford-upon-Avon, introducing HEARTH and INHABIT in the plenary session Keeping Warm Homes Healthy: How to Avoid Unhealthy Retrofit . At the conference, the HEARTH, INHABIT, ARCADE, and Therm-UK projects were exhibited by Dr Yuanhong Zhao through posters and flyers, including calls for participation in the projects. A number of social housing

ARCHI (Adaptation for Resilience and Equity in Communities and Health Infrastructure) is an NIHR Development Award jointly led by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and Oxford Brookes University, with University College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine as co-leads. ARCHI is aligned with HEARTH and brings together researchers, NHS staff, and patients to shape a new research programme focused on preparing NHS buildings for extreme heat. The program

Welcome to the first newsletter of the HEARTH Hub on Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat. Over the past year we have brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and comm unities to understand how the transition to net zero can also protect health and reduce risks from extreme heat – especially for those living and working in vulnerable settings. This newsletter highlights our launch activities, national visibility, advisory roles, and stakeholder engagement. Hap

The HEARTH team ( Rajat Gupta , Clare Heaviside , Cheng Cui , Giandomenico Vurro ) presented several recently UKRI funded projects at the invite-only Building a Green Future conference held in Bristol on 5-6 November 2025. The projects showcased included: HEARTH - National Research Hub on Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat (£7.4 million). INHABIT - Indoor Habitability during the Transition to Net Zero Housing Hub the (£7.3 million). ARCADE - Accelerating Climate Resilienc

Between September and November 2025, HEARTH ran four case-setting focused stakeholder workshops on homes, prisons, hospitals, and care settings. Collectively, the workshops brought together practitioners, policymakers, researchers and third-sector organisations from across the UK with the intent to: Examine the prevalence of overheating in the settings and its health implications. Present (net zero) strategies and measures for enhancing heat resilience. Discuss specific tools

HEARTH’s Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Planet Group met regularly between August and November 2025 to shape the hub’s approach to working with communities and people with lived experience of heat vulnerability. The group is helping to: Co-design research questions and methods that reflect real-world needs. Ensure communication materials are clear, accessible and relevant. Identify opportunities for community-based case studies and pilot projects.

Throughout 2025, the HEARTH Research Hub has achieved significant national visibility through invited presentations and keynote addresses at major conferences and professional events across the UK. Faculty of Public Health Heat Health Masterclass (20 March 2025) – Prof Rajat Gupta presented on drivers of heat risk in care settings and the effectiveness of interventions, drawing on findings from the NERC-funded ClimaCare project. The online event reached over 100 participants

When: Tuesday 6 May 2025 | 9.30am – 1.30pm Where: Oxford Brookes University, Oxford On 6 May 2025, we officially launched the £7.4 million UKRI/NIHR funded HEARTH Research Hub on Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat at Oxford Brookes University. The invite-only event brought together leading researchers, policymakers, and public health experts to explore how we can safeguard health and well-being in a warming world - particularly for those in vulnerable settings. Highlights of t

Key points for HEARTH from the discussions: For policymakers, key points included: Policy working group - The formation of a policy working group was proposed as a helpful mechanism for co-developing key outputs and ensuring early engagement. This group could facilitate the capture of outputs and data from the HEARTH hub. Alignment with overarching net-zero policy - There is a need to connect HEARTH's work with the Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) and broader net-zero ob

HEARTH one of seven new transdisciplinary research hubs funded to explore ways to ensure the UK’s transition to net zero also protects and promotes physical and mental health. The hubs are funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Each hub will receive up to £6 million to deliver high impact research focused on reducing health inequalities. They will also undertake research into developing a standardised way to

Oxford Brookes University will lead a £7.4m Government-funded research initiative to explore the human health impacts of the UK’s net zero targets in relation to extreme heat. The University is leading a major research project with five other universities and four public sector organisations to examine how the transition to net zero emissions can benefit vulnerable populations by improving health outcomes, such as reducing heat-related illnesses and enhancing living condition