Bioinspired Materials and Designs for Sustainable Built Environment

Rapid modernization is causing a significant impact on the rise in urban microclimate temperature, leading to outdoor discomfort for the pedestrians. However, it is observed that the current research on the usage of façade materials and designs to improve outdoor thermal conditions are limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of building façade materials on urban microclimate. In this study, ENVI-MET tool is employed to create a computational model and perform simulations. ENVI-MET offers the liberty to model and simulate an urban environment with greenery, building materials, roads, and pathways, In this study, a group of office buildings located on the Northumbria University (city campus) at Newcastle is selected which are 2-5 stories in height and connected with a network of asphalt roads and concrete pathways and greenery in between. A cell size of 2x2 m2 was selected for modelling. This research focused on the impact on microclimate by variation of building materials under UK’s weather conditions involving summer and winter seasons. The result data are compared for façade materials properties such as solar reflectance, thermal emittance, and specific heat capacity for typical summer and winter conditions. Weather parameters such as air temperature, solar radiation, cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed, and relative humidity were forced into each simulation to obtain accurate results. It is found that the urban air temperature in the first cell near the façade can be reduced up to 2°C on a summer day by implementing the high reflective cool coating. Similarly, the air temperature shows a rise of up to 0.4°C in winters with the application of phase change material in the facade, improving outdoor thermal comfort.