Revisiting interior microclimates: adaptive practices and the shifting paradigm of comfort: In the context of climate change, how can we redefine the modern notion of comfort in interior microclimates, and what insights can be gained from historical vernacular practices to guide the development of adaptive and resilient living environments?

“Comfort […] is in short supply. Not because the world is running out of it but because, in the face of the climate crisis, we have to collectively adjust to its going away” (Barber, 2019, p. 44). During the last century, the Western hemisphere has grown accustomed to high standards of comfort reliably enabled by the built environment. Within...

The effect of different tree configurations on heat stress in courtyards

Among the major urban cooling strategies, urban morphological changes and increasing greenery coverage have proven effective in mitigating heat stress. One building type that has been used for centuries in hot and arid climates is the courtyard typology as it can create comfortable thermal conditions. However, little is known about the climate...

Microclimate Analysis of the TU Delft Campus

With the Urban Heat Island Effect on the rise and 66% of the global population expected to live in the cities by 2050, new ways of building for this urban growth need to be researched. In this report the cooling effects of green and water structures on urban landscapes are examined. To realize this, we opted to recreate a 3D model of the chosen...

An analysis of four different models for quantifying tomato transpiration in a soilless greenhouse

Scientific literature points to several models used to calculate the transpiration of vegetable crops inside a greenhouse but the results are hard to compare since different experiment setups were used. This study aimed to analyse the accuracy of four different transpiration models, Penman-Monteith, Stanghellini, Priestley-Taylor, and Takakura...

BIM and 3D City Models as Input for Microclimate Simulation

Climate change, and the effect it has on our lives and the world, has been at the centre of debate in the past decades. Also in architecture and urban planning fields, the effect of climate on buildings and cities has always had a role in the design process, nowadays especially when it comes to sustainability related topics. An interesting...

Soft space - space for permeability and interaction: Creating great quality public space in the Oude Westen, Rotterdam with conditions for inviting and encouraging use & natural processes

With a pressure on public space due to a predicted increase of users, the changing climate and a non-supporting existing urban structure with a focus on space for vehicles, there is need for improvement of public space in the neighbourhood Oude Westen in Rotterdam. The research question guiding this design research is:</p><p...

Exploring the Effects of Void Decks on Urban Ventilation in Singapore: A Computational Design & Simulation Approach for Wind Microclimate-Informed Urban Planning

Rising temperatures due to climate change and the increased Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect both have a major impact on Singapore’s outdoor comfort. Research has reported an average UHI in Singapore of 4°C, which can even exceed 7°C at some times of the day. (Acero &amp; Ruefenacht, 2017) Increasing convective surface heat transfer from the human...

Climability 2100: Towards a livable urban microclimate

With a growing world population and changing climate conditions, cities have many problems to face in the future. The changing climate can affect the way we appropriate urban outdoor spaces which will affect the social sustainability in the city, so adaptation strategies in cities are necessary. Urban designers should create conditions to...

Designing Heat Refuges for the Dutch Elderly

Netherlands is a coastal country with a typical maritime climate such as mild summers and cold winters but the intensity, duration and frequency of heat waves has been observed increasing since 21st century. The elderly, as one of the vulnerable groups of continuous hot weathers, are the first to be affected by the heat waves with regard to...

Breathing city: Mitigating air pollution through urban microclimate design

In recent years, with the deepening of the urbanization process, high-density urban development models have led to a series of climatic problems such as poor urban ventilation and air pollution. Urban morphology forms a unique microclimate in the city, which has an important impact on the diffusion and distribution of pollutants inside the urban...

The use of digital models in microclimatic studies : First steps in coupling CityGML with ENVI-met

In recent years, the need to reduce the global warming of the planet has become more imperative than ever. Global warming and, at local scale, Urban Heat Island phenomena are among the primary effects of the increased building carbon emissions. Nevertheless, understanding and controlling the parameters which intensify, or mitigate, the...

Vertical Forests: The Impact of Green Balconies on the Microclimate by Solar Shading, Evapotranspiration and Wind Flow Change

In the future most of us will be living in cities and due to climate change global average temperatures are expected to rise. As a result of the urban heat island effect, the temperature in cities can be up to 7 C higher than in the surrounding rural area. Higher air temperatures are not only uncomfortable, but also unhealthy especially for...

The Urban Interior Setting: Towards a Habitable Urban Landscape

The theme of my thesis is the development of a better micro-climate for the public space around The Hague Central Station. " In my research, I formed a generic framework on how the area around a station can be better utilized. I posed conditions and made recommendations for creat ing pleasant places for pedestrians and waiting users. I have...