heat stress; BWh; street canyon; physiological equivalent temperature; ENVI-met; parameterization
Abstract :
[en] Climate change patterns and expected extreme weather conditions drive urban design practices toward more effective adaptation strategies for the built environment. Biskra City, one of the largest urban areas in the Algerian Sahara territory, has suffered from unprecedented extreme weather patterns, specifically during the summer. This paper examined outdoor thermal comfort in the arid climates of Biskra, Algeria, during summer extreme conditions by investigating the impact of the height-to-width (H/W) ratio aspect and the north–south (N-S) and east–west (E-W) street orientations on pedestrian thermal comfort with the parameterization of external building envelopes using brick, concrete, adobe, and limestone materials. This study was conducted with ENVI-met 5.1.1 software, based on 24 parametric scenarios, to identify the most effective composition for outdoor thermal stress mitigation using the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) thermal index. Across all scenarios, the PET index values fluctuated between PETmin = 32.2 ◦C and PETmax = 60.6 ◦C at different hours. The coupling between the H/W ratio and street orientation as geometry factors and building envelope characteristics reveals six distinct categories of building materials, each with an impact on outdoor thermal comfort: (1) high cooling (60–100%), (2) medium cooling (40–60%), (3) low cooling (<40%), (4) high heating (60–100%), (5) medium heating (40–60%), and (6) low heating material (<40%). Therefore, in the N-S orientation, limestone walls can provide a cooling efficiency range from 85% to 100% throughout deep and shallow canyons. Contrary to this, brick walls can cause a heat retention range varying from 70% to 93% within the same canyons. When considering extreme summer conditions in arid climates, the results show that the most effective bioclimatic passive strategy that could be achieved is the E-W orientation, within H/W < 1, characterized by a high albedo building material.
Research Center/Unit :
Department of Architecture, Mohamed Khider University, Biskra 07000, Algeria Laboratory of Design and Modeling of Architectural and Urban Forms and Ambiances (LACOMOFA), Mohamed Khider University, Biskra 07000, Algeria
Disciplines :
Architecture
Author, co-author :
Ratmia, Fatima Zahra Ben; Mohamed Khider University, Biskra 07000, Algeria > Laboratory of Design and Modeling of Architectural and Urban Forms and Ambiances (LACOMOFA) ; Mohamed Khider University, Biskra 07000, Algeria, > Department of Architecture
Ahriz, Atef; Echahid Cheikh Larbi Tebessi University, Tebessa 12000, Algeria > Department of Architecture ; Echahid Cheikh Larbi Tebessi University, Tebessa 12000, Algeria > Laboratory of Applied Civil Engineering (LGCA)
Santi, Giovanni; University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy > Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering
Bouzaher, Soumia; Mohamed Khider University, Biskra 07000, Algeria > Department of Architecture
Mahar, Waqas Ahmed ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Urban and Environmental Engineering ; Aror University of Art, Architecture, Design and Heritage, Sukkur 65200, Pakistan > Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning (FATP)
Ratmia, Mohamed Akram Eddine Ben; Mohamed Khider University, Biskra 07000, Algeria > Department of Architecture
Matallah, Mohamed Elhadi; Mohamed Khider University, Biskra 07000, Algeria > Laboratory of Design and Modeling of Architectural and Urban Forms and Ambiances (LACOMOFA) ; Mohamed Khider University, Biskra 07000, Algeria > Department of Architecture
Language :
English
Title :
Street Design Strategies Based on Spatial Configurations and Building External Envelopes in Relation to Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Arid Climates
Publication date :
26 December 2023
Journal title :
Sustainability
eISSN :
2071-1050
Publisher :
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), Basel, Switzerland
Volume :
16
Issue :
1
Pages :
221
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Development Goals :
3. Good health and well-being 11. Sustainable cities and communities
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