Microclimatic Conditions of an Urban Square: Role of built environment and geometry

Abstract

Geometry plays a dominant role in thermal situations within city structures. This study aims to seek how this role affects thermal comfort of the visitors in an urban square. Computer simulations were performed along with physical measurements in an urban square during peak hot conditions of summer in Isfahan, Iran. In addition to the influence of built environment inside the square, the results confirmed the role of geometry on thermal conditions. The amelioration effect for the aspect ratio was higher than that of the orientation. Findings are useful for urban design strategies dealing with thermal comfort.Keywords: Thermal comfort; urban square; geometry; built environment eISSN 2398-4295 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia