Picture this: You buy a brilliant new raincoat – waterproof, high-tech, expensive. But halfway through your walk, you’re drenched. Not from rain… from sweat.
That’s Plymouth’s story. A coastal city that’s survived storms for 1,000 years, now being defeated by… damp air. Because somewhere, we forgot a basic truth: Buildings aren’t statues – they’re living systems. And climate change just changed the game.
Now, mould isn’t just a Plymouth problem. It’s a £1.5bn-a-year UK crisis. But here’s the twist: We’re causing it by trying to fix it. Let me explain…
Meet our two characters:
Great-Grandad’s House: Built with porous limestone. Walls that ‘sweat’ moisture out.
1960s ‘Progress’: Concrete boxes sealed tighter than a Tupperware lid.
Guess which one’s now growing toxic mould?
Ah, but we retrofitted the old ones! Added insulation, vapour barriers… Made them energy efficient. And accidentally created moisture prisons.
It’s like putting that raincoat under your skin.
We prioritised fighting the visible enemy (cold) and unleashed the invisible one (humidity).
Plymouth’s air isn’t just wet – it’s marinated. 1,000mm of rain yearly. Enough to fill your bath… 500 times. But the real killer? Salt.
Those lovely sea views come with airborne salt crystals that:
- Clog modern insulation like cholesterol in arteries
- Turn tiny cracks into moisture motorways
- Make your walls thirstier than a Friday night pub crowd
And here’s where climate change plays dirty: Warmer seas mean saltier winds. Your ‘coastal charm’ premium? It’s now a health liability.
Let’s visit Plymouth’s 16th-century fish market. Still standing. Still dry. Why?
Three secrets:
- Walls that breathe (limestone pores act like microscopic lungs)
- Slate ‘eyebrows’ (overhangs that shrug off rain like a stubborn West Country farmer)
- Chimney Effect (warm, moist air escaping through roof vents)
Modern solution? We boxed buildings in cling film.
Now, f you want people to change, make the better choice easier than the bad one.
So why do builders still use materials suited to 1945’s climate? Why retrofit grants reward energy saved but ignore health costs?
We’re using the wrong scoreboard.
Let’s get radical. What if…
- Building regulations considered local air recipes? (Plymouth vs. Leeds = fish stew vs. dry cracker)
- Insulation came with a ‘breathability rating’ like SPF sunscreen?
- We treated salt resistance like fire safety standards?
Plymouth’s testing self-healing mortar with bacteria that eat salt. Bacteria! Sometimes progress looks like partnering with 3-billion-year-old tech.
That raincoat mistake? We’re repeating it planet-scale. But here’s the good news:
Every crisis is a design brief in disguise.
Will we keep building tombs for dry air? Or create homes that dance with the climate – breathing, adapting, living?
Plymouth’s mould isn’t just a problem. It’s a provocation. A chance to build not just for net-zero, but for net-wisdom. To let our walls breathe again… before we all suffocate in good intentions.
The Victorians built sewers that still work. What will our legacy be? Condensation… or revolution?