Measuring thermal comfort in a built environment: A case study in a Central Business District, Jakarta

Abstract

It is obvious that an increase in the built environment in many major cities is not balanced with the availability of green open space causing environmental problems such as an increase in accumulative city temperature (e.g., urban heat island). Therefore, many initiatives have been implemented to integrate more green open spaces in an effort to deal with increasing air temperatures in cities, but baseline information on the positive impact on the built environment is still lacking. The objective of this study was to identify thermal comfort in green open spaces and built environments in a central business district. Basic microclimate variables and thermal humidity index (THI) were analyzed in three sites representing the district by also considering the distribution of green open spaces, buildings, and traffics. Results showed that in the morning, the average temperature at the three sampling points have a low temperature (T=27.77-28.50°C) with high humidity (RH=77.21-80.97%) and the THI value is quite comfortable (THI=26.72-27.22°C), while during the daytime, the temperature conditions at the three sites have high temperatures (T=31.37-33.04°C) with low humidity (RH=63.30-65.80%) and high THI values (THI=29.22-30.62°C). In the afternoon, the temperature conditions at the three sample points have a high enough temperature (T=29.70-30.61°C) and high humidity (RH=67.36-71.02%), while the THI value is only in point two, which is close to the quite comfortable category (THI=27.98°C), while other locations have a value THI=28.60°C and 28.62°C. The results of this study mark the presence of green open space with the trees in the district has a positive effect on decreasing air temperature and hence increasing environmental comfort. The addition and enrichment of trees can be done to increase thermal comfort in the built environment.