Modelling mean radiant temperature in outdoor environments: contrasting the approaches of different simulation tools

Abstract

Global warming and increasing urbanization are expected to threaten public health in cities, by increasing the heat stress perceived by the inhabitants. Outdoor thermal comfort conditions are influenced by the material and the geometric features of the surrounding urban fabric at both the urban and building scales. In built environments, performance-aware design choices related to street paving or building façade can enhance outdoor thermal comfort in their surroundings. Reliable estimations of outdoor thermal comfort conditions are required to evaluate and control the micro-bioclimatic influences of different design choices. The mean radiant temperature is the physical variable that has the greatest influence on outdoor thermal comfort conditions during summertime. Since its calculation is complex, the available simulation tools employ different approaches and assumptions to estimate it, and potential users need to be aware of their capabilities and simplifications. This research compares the calculation procedures and assumptions of different performance simulation tools (i.e. ENVI-met, TRNSYS, Ladybug/Honeybee, CitySim, and SOLENE-microclimat) to predict the mean radiant temperature in outdoor spaces, based on the available information in the scientific literature. Their ability to account for different radiative components in both the longwave and shortwave spectra is summarized, and practical information regarding the degree of interoperability with the modelling environments and the level of geometrical detail of the virtual model supported by the tools is provided. This work aims to help potential users in the selection of the most appropriate performance tool, based on the requirement of their projects.