The study assesses the overheating prevention capacity of residential buildings in Montenegrin municipalities by considering key factors, such as building characteristics, occupant behaviour, and current and future climate conditions. 

Firstly, a survey was conducted to explore occupants’ perception of thermal comfort and to identify passive design measures that exist or should be implemented for overheating prevention in residential buildings.

Secondly, climate data were analysed to determine current and future projected climate conditions, while the bioclimatic potential for overheating prevention was evaluated for each municipality. 

Lastly, this study applied a developed methodology for assessing the overheating prevention capacity of residential buildings by correlating the survey results to climate data. 

The climate analysis shows an increase in the overheating periods, with the highest vulnerability to global warming in the colder locations.

Fig. 1. Location (left), elevation (middle) and average annual temperature (right) of Montenegro

Accordingly, policymakers and building designers must take proactive steps to improve resilience to climate change in these areas. In addition, the research revealed that many passive design measures are underutilised by the occupants, who primarily rely on air conditioning to prevent overheating. Therefore, more complex passive measures must be implemented in Montenegrin buildings to ensure resilience and avoid excessive overheating under the predicted future climate conditions.