TITLE:
Engineering Solutions to Address Climate Change Risks in the Construction Sector in the UAE
AUTHORS:
Saed Alshanti
KEYWORDS:
Climate Change, UAE Construction Sector, Resilient Engineering, Geopolymer Concrete, Sustainable Drainage Systems, Responsive Facades, Coastal Resilience
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.9,
September
15,
2026
ABSTRACT: Climate change is increasing the exposure of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) built environment to extreme heat, coastal and groundwater salinity, intense rainfall, and associated flooding. This narrative literature review examines engineering responses relevant to these risks across materials, building envelopes, urban drainage, coastal protection, and digital monitoring. The review draws on peer-reviewed engineering literature together with authoritative UAE and international institutional publications, with priority given to sources directly addressing hot-arid conditions, durability, climate adaptation, and construction practice. The evidence indicates that no single technology provides a complete response. Established measures such as sulfate-resistant concrete systems, high-performance envelopes, conventional coastal protection, and well-maintained drainage infrastructure can be combined with more emerging options, including geopolymer binders, nanomaterial modification, responsive facades, and digital twins. Their suitability depends on exposure conditions, building function, maintenance capacity, life-cycle cost, and the maturity of supporting standards and field evidence. The review concludes that a risk-based combination of proven and emerging measures offers a more credible pathway to improving the long-term resilience of UAE construction than reliance on individual technologies.