The University of Otago may encourage staff and students to work remotely if summer heats up again as it struggles to deal with higher temperatures.
About 40% of rooms used for teaching do not have mechanical ventilation, although the university was unable to say what percentage of buildings had air conditioning.
Earlier this month, an email to staff warned some workspaces would "exceed our thermal comfort guidelines" if temperatures rose above 30degC.
Staff were advised to speak to management about options including working from home.
People would be encouraged to dress for the weather, open windows and doors and use fans to increase air flow.
"Working and studying remotely remain options," he said.
Many buildings were constructed with mechanical cooling for spaces that required it, such as teaching spaces, laboratories, clinical spaces and large open-plan offices.
Other buildings were being systematically upgraded as needs and expectations changed, he said.
Additional improvements being made included adding blinds, external shades, performance coatings for windows, glazing upgrades and thermal insulation.
Temporary measures were also available, including portable fans and cooling units.
In November 2021 the university assessed the type of ventilation in teaching spaces as part of Covid response planning, he said.
"About 60% of the rooms in use for teaching had mechanical ventilation and all others had natural ventilation."
A climate change physical-risk assessment of university facilities last year considered exposure to a range of scenarios.
The next steps included gathering more detail on the types of mechanical ventilation in place, and developing a long-term plan for future upgrades, he said.
