Building Volume Effects on Ambient Temperature In The Kuala Lumpur City

Abstract

Buildings not only generate anthropogenic heat but also store and release heat energy which able to alter the urban microclimate. The heat released in the atmosphere contributes to the rise in ambient temperature, causing thermal discomfort towards urban dwellers, especially in hot and humid climate regions such as the Kuala Lumpur City. Due to urbanization, many buildings were erected leading to higher heat absorption within this city. This study aims to investigate the contribution of building volume on the ambient temperature of the Kuala Lumpur City. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) simulation model, the ambient temperature of the city was regenerated within an intermonsoon phase (April) in the year of 2018. This period was chosen to reduce the synoptic forcing. Building footprints stored in GIS-based vector dataset was used to estimate building volumes within the city. Spearman correlation test and Kruskall Wallis test has revealed that the building volumes within the city has significantly affected the ambient temperature causing thermal discomfort towards the urban dwellers especially during the day. Spatial examination revealed that higher building volume contribute to warmer environment within the city centre. Thus, optimization of the building volume should be seriously considered especially during urban planning decision making.