AI-driven morphological optimization for resilient retrofitting of mediterranean housing stock under compounded urban heat island and heatwave effects

• Compounded Urban Heat Island and heatwaves increase mean air temperature by ∼3.5°C by 2100. • Building morphology accounts for a 27% EUI gap under extreme heat stress. • 45% of CTE-compliant retrofits projected to fail regulatory cooling limits by 2100. • ML-GA optimization reduces EUI by up to 18% and carbon intensity by 22%. • A validated "form-first" framework identifies resilient Mediterranean housing design. The compounded effects of urban heatwaves (HW) and the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon threaten the thermal resilience of Mediterranean residential buildings; yet, few studies evaluate building performance under localized future climate conditions. This study addresses this gap by combining…