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• This paper draws upon field data collected from a large number of London schemes representing a wide range of housing types. • Fieldwork and analytical studies conducted on each scheme provided insights on the connection between design and performance. • The study focused on the most recent buildings as to identify the potential for passive design. • The investigation also highlights an increasing overheating risk found in smaller, highly insulated dwellings. • The article explores measures to dissipate the excess heat and create resilient environments in a context of global warming. The present paper summarises findings of an extensive study encompassing field data collected from a large number of London housing schemes over the last decade. Selected buildings are analysed and monitored to realistically define and describe their thermal behaviour. The potential for free-running performance is demonstrated with field measurements and simulations. The study confirms the increasing risk of overheating that appears to become endemic, even during winter months, owing to highly insulated envelopes stipulated by Regulations, and the nature of contemporary dwelling design following current socioeconomic trends. The detailed analysis of four recent housing schemes reveals some of the main factors that caused the increase of the overheating risk in London contemporary flats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]