Impact of reflective materials on urban canyon albedo, outdoor and indoor microclimates

Salvati, Agnese; Kolokotroni, Maria; Kotopouleas, Alkis; Watkins, Richard; Giridharan, Renganathan; Nikolopoulou, Marialena

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108459

Cited by 53 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Other studies (Carnielo & Zinzi, 2013;Gartland, 2008;Salvati et al, 2022) have shown that building and surface materials with higher albedos can improve outdoor thermal conditions. In Carnielo and Zinzi (2013)'s work in Athens, Ta was reduced by 1.9°C in an open environment using high-reflectance pavement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…This software is used worldwide to calculate WS and the transient surface energy balance of surface materials by using a 1.5 order turbulence closure k-ε model (Bruse & Fleer, 1998). Previous studies have found that the ENVI-met simulation results were able to provide reliable results in urban microclimate assessment (Aboelata, 2020;Salvati et al, 2022;Srivanit & Jareemit, 2020). The microclimate simulations were performed for Bangkok/Don Muang weather station (13.913° N, 100.607° E).…”

Section: Model Description and Setup Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From studies in Eilat, Singapore, Adelaide, and Göteborg, in open space or shallow street canyons, which are defined by the building's height to street's width ratio (H/W ratio ≤ 0.1), surface materials reduce Ta by 70% more than those in deep canyons (H/W ≥ 2) (Erell et al, 2014). However, Salvati et al (2022) investigated the thermal environment in the typical street canyon by applying high solar reflectance materials to the road and building's facades, and found that designs that incorporate a great deal of high solar reflectance materials worsen thermal comfort conditions. It might be that interreflections between the road pavement and building façade materials lead to rising mean radiant temperatures and Ta.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effects of Design Combinations of Surface Materials and Plants on Outdoor Thermal Conditions during Summer around a Single-Detached House: a Numerical Analysis

Leetongin¹,

Inprom²,

Srivanit³

et al. 2022

NJEDP

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Suburban areas with low-density buildings are subject to only limited shading from adjacent buildings. As a result, these areas have more surface area absorbing more radiation, which has the effect of increasing urban temperatures compared with built-up high-density areas. This study aims to assess the combinations of landscape design, namely the integration of wall-paint colors, used to influence the outdoor thermal conditions around a single house in a housing cluster in suburban Bangkok, Thailand. The investigation used the ENVI-met model to perform diurnal profiles of the air temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), direct and diffuse solar radiation, and wind speed (WS) in summer. The results show that only a single design element adversely affected the cooling effect, while other combinations of landscape design significantly improved outdoor thermal conditions. It was found that a combination of light wall-paint colors and trees planted near the house provided the maximum reduction in Ta of 0.7°C (1.6% from the base case), and a 2.7% reduction in the noon solar radiation. High-reflectance wall-paint was found to have a secondary influence of up to 0.2°C on the Ta, while the temperature reductions from changing the ground-cover materials had only a slight impact. Finally, landscape designs integrating wall-paint colors to promote a cooler outdoor environment are proposed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Model Description and Setup Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Effects of Design Combinations of Surface Materials and Plants on Outdoor Thermal Conditions during Summer around a Single-Detached House: a Numerical Analysis

Leetongin¹,

Inprom²,

Srivanit³

et al. 2022

NJEDP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Current research is mainly focused on the characteristics of land cover, urban morphology, and urban form's impact on albedo, while the impact of urban thermal properties on albedo should also be considered. The complex urban geometry [84], building materials [24], and absorption and emission rates of different surface materials also affect albedo. On the other hand, the association between albedo and urban environment and livability also needs to be explored including urban thermal comfort [85], and anthropogenic heat [86].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Heterogeneity and Temporal Variation in Urban Surface Albedo Detected by High-Resolution Satellite Data

Huang

Zheng

et al. 2022

Remote Sensing

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Albedo is one of the key parameters in the surface energy balance and it has been altered due to urban expansion, which has significant impacts on local and regional climate. Many previous studies have demonstrated that changes in the urban surface albedo are strongly related to the city’s heterogeneity and have significant spatial-temporal characteristics but fail to address the albedo of the urban surface as a unique variable in urban thermal environment research. This study selects Beijing as the experimental area for exploring the spatial-temporal characteristics of the urban surface albedo and the albedo’s uniqueness in environmental research on urban spaces. Our results show that the urban surface albedo at high spatial resolution can better represent the urban spatial heterogeneity, seasonal variation, building canyon, and pixel adjacency effects. Urban surface albedo is associated with building density and height, land surface temperature (LST), and fractional vegetation cover (FVC). Furthermore, albedo can reflect livability and environmental rating due to the variances of building materials and architectural formats in the urban development. Hence, we argue that the albedo of the urban surface can be considered as a unique variable for improving the acknowledgment of the urban environment and human livability with wider application in urban environmental research.

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“…According to a study by Salvati el al. [2] conducted in London, combining the higher reflectivity of streets and lower reflectivity in the basement part of the building facades, could mitigate UHIs in residential areas, avoiding a negative impact on thermal comfort at the street level. Several conditions are considered, starting from models of urban canyons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigation strategies in densely urbanized contexts: the case study of a historical district in Naples

Mastellone,

Ascione,

Bianco

et al. 2023

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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The design of our cities, their planning, and management must be increasingly oriented towards sustainability, identifying solutions that can systemically address problems on a city scale, namely urban heat islands, rainwater runoff, storms, and acoustic issues. This study begins by evaluating the impact of a green area on pedestrian comfort in the historical center of Naples, employing an experimental and numerical approach. Temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration were measured at three significant points in a historical quarter in “Chiaia” district (Naples): a) in the center of the square “Piazza del Martiri” in the sun, b) in the center of the same square in the shade, and c) in the shade of the vegetation, under the effect of transpiration of deep trees. Then, these measures are used for the calibration of a numerical model developed in an environmental analysis software. The numerical approach has been used to predict the impact of possible mitigation scenarios, by increasing the vegetation and varying the density of the canopy, using non-white cool materials for the urban surfaces and for the facades and roofs of the surrounding historical buildings, and adding fountains. These strategies have a positive effect on urban temperatures and outdoor comfort, in densely urbanized contexts. The findings are finally used to identify the best design solutions, to improve pedestrian comfort and reduce the urban heat, without affecting the historical value of the urban district.

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Impact of reflective materials on urban canyon albedo, outdoor and indoor microclimates

Cited by 53 publications

References 53 publications

The Effects of Design Combinations of Surface Materials and Plants on Outdoor Thermal Conditions during Summer around a Single-Detached House: a Numerical Analysis

The Effects of Design Combinations of Surface Materials and Plants on Outdoor Thermal Conditions during Summer around a Single-Detached House: a Numerical Analysis

Spatial Heterogeneity and Temporal Variation in Urban Surface Albedo Detected by High-Resolution Satellite Data

Mitigation strategies in densely urbanized contexts: the case study of a historical district in Naples

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