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The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives

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A special issue of Climate (ISSN 2225-1154).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2021) | Viewed by 72526

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giulia Ulpiani

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Guest Editor

Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Interests: energy performance of buildings; indoor and outdoor comfort; home automation; smart controllers; urban heat island mitigation/adaptation; advanced cooling technologies; evaporative cooling

Dr. Michele Zinzi

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Guest Editor

Smart Energy Division, Energy Technologies Department, ENEA - Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: urban mitigation; materials for urban and built environments; energy performance of buildings
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Worldwide, the built environment is being strongly challenged by climatic alterations (escalation of both weather extremes and mean trends) that put a strain on (i) energy needs for cooling and release of anthropogenic heat, (ii) mortality and morbidity due to overheating and air pollution, (iii) productivity and wellbeing, and (iv) accessibility to public spaces and social prosperity. Therefore, what is the future of the urban realm in a changing climate? What is the role of a growing population with expanding patterns of urbanization and consumption? How can we mitigate buildings’ and cities’ burden on local/global environmental change?

In this framework, this Special Issue aims at publishing high-quality papers targeting the following goals:

Collecting criteria and methods to develop meteorological datasets including climate changes;
Establishing innovative monitoring systems to capture the multifarious impacts of an evolving climate on the built environment;
Defining the energy and comfort metrics in future buildings;
Estimating the impacts in terms of air quality and heat-related mortality and morbidity rates;
Investigating the interaction between global and local climate changes;
Defining governance models, legal frameworks, and agenda-setting methods to prioritize climate policies;
Defining criteria and targets for urban and building integrated design in a warmer world.

Dr. Giulia Ulpiani
Dr. Michele Zinzi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Climate is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

Climate change
Future buildings
Forecasting models
Human health
Climate policy
Outdoor air quality
Energy
Thermal comfort
Monitoring

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Related Special Issue

The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives: Part II in Climate (3 articles)

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

7 pages, 1176 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Introducing the Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges, and Perspectives

by Giulia Ulpiani and Michele Zinzi

Climate 2021, 9(7), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9070104 - 23 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2898

Abstract

Planning for climate change adaptation is among the most complex challenges cities are facing today [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

19 pages, 2025 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Urban Heat Island Intensity: Implications for East Africa’s Urban Development

by Xueqin Li, Lindsay C. Stringer and Martin Dallimer

Climate 2021, 9(4), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9040051 - 28 Mar 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 7393

Abstract

Due to the combination of climate change and the rapid growth in urban populations in Africa, many urban areas are encountering exacerbated urban heat island (UHI) effects. It is important to understand UHI effects in order to develop suitable adaptation and mitigation strategies. However, little work has been done in this regard in Africa. In this study, we compared surface UHI (SUHI) effects between cities located in different climate zones in East Africa, investigating how they change, both spatially and temporally. We quantified the annual daytime and night-time SUHI intensities in the five most populated cities in East Africa in 2003 and 2017, and investigated the links to urban area size. We consider the possible drivers of SUHI change and consider the implication for future development, highlighting the role of factors such as topography and building/construction materials. We suggest that UHI mitigation strategies targeting East African cities may benefit from more comprehensive analyses of blue and green infrastructure as this offers potential opportunities to enhance human comfort in areas where UHI effects are highest. However, this needs careful planning to avoid increasing associated issues such as disease risks linked to a changing climate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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23 pages, 4474 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Urban Heat Island Impact on Building Energy Performance at District Level with the EUReCA Platform

by Pierdonato Romano, Enrico Prataviera, Laura Carnieletto, Jacopo Vivian, Michele Zinzi and Angelo Zarrella

Climate 2021, 9(3), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9030048 - 16 Mar 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5526

Abstract

In recent decades, the cooling energy demand in urban areas is increasing ever faster due to the global warming and the growth of developing economies. In this perspective, the urban building energy modelling community is focusing its research activities on innovative tools and policy actions to improve cities’ sustainability. This work aims to present a novel module of the EUReCA (Energy Urban Resistance Capacitance Approach) platform for evaluating the effects of the interaction between district’s buildings in the cooling season. EUReCA predicts the urban energy demand using a bottom-up approach and low computational resources. The new module allows us to evaluate the mutual shading between buildings and the urban heat island effects, and it is well integrated with the calculation of the energy demand of buildings. The analysis was carried out considering a real case study in Padua (Italy). Results show that the urban heat island causes an average increase of 2.2 °C in the external air temperature mainly caused by the waste heat rejected from cooling systems. This involves an increase in urban cooling energy and electricity demand, which can be affected between 6 and 8%. The latter is the most affected by the urban heat island (UHI), due to the degradation it causes on the HVAC systems’ efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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16 pages, 3185 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

A Comparative Analysis of Different Future Weather Data for Building Energy Performance Simulation

by Mamak P.Tootkaboni, Ilaria Ballarini, Michele Zinzi and Vincenzo Corrado

Climate 2021, 9(2), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9020037 - 23 Feb 2021

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 5390

Abstract

The building energy performance pattern is predicted to be shifted in the future due to climate change. To analyze this phenomenon, there is an urgent need for reliable and robust future weather datasets. Several ways for estimating future climate projection and creating weather files exist. This paper attempts to comparatively analyze three tools for generating future weather datasets based on statistical downscaling (WeatherShift, Meteonorm, and CCWorldWeatherGen) with one based on dynamical downscaling (a future-typical meteorological year, created using a high-quality reginal climate model). Four weather datasets for the city of Rome are generated and applied to the energy simulation of a mono family house and an apartment block as representative building types of Italian residential building stock. The results show that morphed weather files have a relatively similar operation in predicting the future comfort and energy performance of the buildings. In addition, discrepancy between them and the dynamical downscaled weather file is revealed. The analysis shows that this comes not only from using different approaches for creating future weather datasets but also by the building type. Therefore, for finding climate resilient solutions for buildings, care should be taken in using different methods for developing future weather datasets, and regional and localized analysis becomes vital. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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14 pages, 564 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Residential Buildings during Bushfire Smoke Events

by Priyadarsini Rajagopalan and Nigel Goodman

Climate 2021, 9(2), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9020032 - 15 Feb 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6102

Abstract

Exposure to bushfire smoke is associated with acute and chronic health effects such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Residential buildings are important places of refuge from bushfire smoke, however the air quality within these locations can become heavily polluted by smoke infiltration. Consequently, some residential buildings may offer limited protection from exposure to poor air quality, especially during extended smoke events. This paper evaluates the impact of bushfire smoke on indoor air quality within residential buildings and proposes strategies and guidance to reduce indoor levels of particulates and other pollutants. The paper explores the different monitoring techniques used to measure air pollutants and assesses the influence of the building envelope, filtration technologies, and portable air cleaners used to improve indoor air quality. The evaluation found that bushfire smoke can substantially increase the levels of pollutants within residential buildings. Notably, some studies reported indoor levels of PM_2.5 of approximately 500µg/m³ during bushfire smoke events. Many Australian homes are very leaky (i.e., >15 ACH) compared to those in countries such as the USA. Strategies such as improving the building envelope will help reduce smoke infiltration, however even in airtight homes pollutant levels will eventually increase over time. Therefore, the appropriate design, selection, and operation of household ventilation systems that include particle filtration will be critical to reduce indoor exposures during prolonged smoke events. Future studies of bushfire smoke intrusion in residences could also focus on filtration technologies that can remove gaseous pollutants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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16 pages, 2774 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Climate Change on the Energy and Comfort Performance of nZEB: A Case Study in Italy

by Serena Summa, Luca Tarabelli, Giulia Ulpiani and Costanzo Di Perna

Climate 2020, 8(11), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli8110125 - 2 Nov 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4154

Abstract

Climate change is posing a variety of challenges in the built realm. Among them is the change in future energy consumption and the potential decay of current energy efficient paradigms. Indeed, today’s near-zero Energy buildings (nZEBs) may lose their virtuosity in the near future. The objective of this study is to propose a methodology to evaluate the change in yearly performance between the present situation and future scenarios. Hourly dynamic simulations are performed on a residential nZEB located in Rome, built in compliance with the Italian legislation. We compare the current energy consumption with that expected in 2050, according to the two future projections described in the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Implications for thermal comfort are further investigated by assuming no heating and cooling system, and by tracking the free-floating operative temperature. Compared to the current weather conditions, the results reveal an average temperature increase of 3.4 °C and 3.9 °C under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, estimated through ERA-Interim/UrbClim. This comes at the expense of a 47.8% and 50.3% increase in terms of cooling energy needs, and a 129.5% and 185.8% decrease in terms of heating needs. The annual power consumption experiences an 18% increase under both scenarios due to (i) protracted activation of the air conditioning system and (ii) enhanced peak power requirements. A 6.2% and 5.1% decrease in the hours of adaptive comfort is determined under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5′s 2050 scenarios out of the concerted action of temperature and solar gains. The results for a newly proposed combined index for long-term comfort assessments reveal a milder future penalty, owing to less pronounced excursions and milder daily temperature swings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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21 pages, 3239 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Modeling and Analysis of Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation in Tehran

by Behnam Ghasemzadeh and Ayyoob Sharifi

Climate 2020, 8(10), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli8100104 - 24 Sep 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4528

Abstract

Since the impacts of climate change will last for many years, adaptation to this phenomenon should be prioritized in urban management plans. Although Tehran, the capital of Iran, has been subject to a variety of climate change impacts in recent years, appropriate adaptation measures to address them are yet to be taken. This study primarily aims to categorize the barriers to climate change adaptation in Tehran and analyze the way they interact with each other. The study was done in three steps: first, the focus group discussion (FGD) method was used to identify the barriers; next, the survey and the structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to validate the barriers, identify their importance, and examine their possible inter-relationships; and finally, the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) was applied to categorize and visualize the relationships between the barriers. Results show that barriers related to the ‘structure and culture of research’, ‘laws and regulations’, and ‘planning’ belong to the cluster of independent barriers and are of greater significance. The ‘social’ barrier and barriers related to ‘resources and resource management’ are identified as dependent barriers and are of lesser importance. Barriers related to ‘governance’, ‘awareness’, ‘education and knowledge’, ‘communication and interaction’, and ‘economy’ are identified at the intermediate cluster. The findings of this study can provide planners and decision makers with invaluable insights as to how to develop strategies for climate change adaptation in Tehran. Despite the scope of the study being confined to Tehran, its implications go far beyond this metropolis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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19 pages, 5447 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Urban Heat Island in Mediterranean Coastal Cities: The Case of Bari (Italy)

by Alessandra Martinelli, Dionysia-Denia Kolokotsa and Francesco Fiorito

Climate 2020, 8(6), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli8060079 - 19 Jun 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 6952

Abstract

In being aware that some factors (i.e. increasing pollution levels, Urban Heat Island (UHI), extreme climate events) threaten the quality of life in cities, this paper intends to study the Atmospheric UHI phenomenon in Bari, a Mediterranean coastal city in Southern Italy. An experimental investigation at the micro-scale was conducted to study and quantify the UHI effect by considering several spots in the city to understand how the urban and physical characteristics of these areas modify air temperatures and lead to different UHI configurations. Air temperature data provided by fixed weather stations were first compared to assess the UHI distribution and its daily, monthly, seasonal and annual intensity in five years (from 2014 to 2018) to draw local climate information, and then compared with the relevant national standard. The study has shown that urban characteristics are crucial to the way the UHI phenomenon manifests itself. UHI reaches its maximum intensity in summer and during night-time. The areas with higher density (station 2—Local Climate Zone (LCZ) 2) record high values of UHI intensity both during daytime (4.0 °C) and night-time (4.2 °C). Areas with lower density (station 3—LCZ 5) show high values of UHI during daytime (up to 4.8 °C) and lower values of UHI intensity during night-time (up to 2.8 °C). It has also been confirmed that sea breezes—particularly noticeable in the coastal area—can mitigate temperatures and change the configuration of the UHI. Finally, by analysing the frequency distribution of current and future weather scenarios, up to additional 4 °C of increase of urban air temperature is expected, further increasing the current treats to urban liveability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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27 pages, 92104 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Heat Stress on Indoor Environments in Shallow, Deep and Covered Atrium Plan Form Office Buildings in Tropics

by Upendra Rajapaksha

Climate 2020, 8(2), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli8020036 - 22 Feb 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5793

Abstract

Environmental heat stress on buildings through façades contributes to indoor overheating and thus increases demand for energy consumption. The study analyzed the problem, heat gain risk, of modern air-conditioned multi-level office buildings in tropics, for example Colombo. Plan form, orientation, sectional form and envelope were identified and theorized to understand design interventions to reduce the risk of getting heat stress on indoor environments. On-site thermal performance investigations in multi zones of identified three typical built forms, namely; shallow, deep and covered atrium plan forms, quantified the heat stress. Reaching the daytime indoor and surface temperature in peripheral zones of multi-story office buildings during air conditioning “off-mode” up to 38 °C–42 °C was seen as a critical heat stress situation to be addressed through building design. Shading or insulation on façades to control environmental heat gain and manipulation of building section for night ventilation to remove internal heat developed during the daytime are discussed. However, the significance of the plan form depth was found to be a main contributor in dealing with heat transfer to indoor space. Deep plan form was found to be more effective in controlling environmental heat transfer to indoor space across the plan depth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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21 pages, 2643 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

The Role of Individual and Small-Area Social and Environmental Factors on Heat Vulnerability to Mortality Within and Outside of the Home in Boston, MA

by Augusta A. Williams, Joseph G. Allen, Paul J. Catalano and John D. Spengler

Climate 2020, 8(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli8020029 - 7 Feb 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4310

Abstract

Climate change is resulting in heatwaves that are more frequent, severe, and longer lasting, which is projected to double-to-triple the heat-related mortality in Boston, MA if adequate climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies are not implemented. A case-only analysis was used to examine subject and small-area neighborhood characteristics that modified the association between hot days and mortality. Deaths of Boston, Massachusetts residents that occurred from 2000–2015 were analyzed in relation to the daily temperature and heat index during the warm season as part of the case-only analysis. The modification by small-area (census tract, CT) social, and environmental (natural and built) factors was assessed. At-home mortality on hot days was driven by both social and environmental factors, differentially across the City of Boston census tracts, with a greater proportion of low-to-no income individuals or those with limited English proficiency being more highly represented among those who died during the study period; but small-area built environment features, like street trees and enhanced energy efficiency, were able to reduce the relative odds of death within and outside the home. At temperatures below current local thresholds used for heat warnings and advisories, there was increased relative odds of death from substance abuse and assault-related altercations. Geographic weighted regression analyses were used to examine these relationships spatially within a subset of at-home deaths with high-resolution temperature and humidity data. This revealed spatially heterogeneous associations between at-home mortality and social and environmental vulnerability factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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11 pages, 6336 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Environment Design of Outdoor Spaces by Examining Redevelopment Buildings Opposite Central Osaka Station

by Hideki Takebayashi

Climate 2019, 7(12), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli7120143 - 14 Dec 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3774

Abstract

Thermal environmental design in an outdoor space is discussed by focusing on the proper selection and arrangement of buildings, trees, and covering materials via the examination of redevelopment buildings in front of Central Osaka Station, where several heat island countermeasure technologies have been introduced. Surface temperatures on the ground and wall were calculated based on the surface heat budget equation in each 2 m size mesh of the ground and building wall surface. Incident solar radiation was calculated using ArcGIS and building shape data. Mean radiant temperature (MRT) of the human body was calculated using these results. Distribution of wind velocity was calculated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) reproducing buildings, obstacles, trees, and the surroundings. The effect of MRT on SET* was greater than that of wind velocity at 13:00 and 17:00 on a typical summer day. SET* reduction was the highest by solar radiation shading, followed by surface material change and ventilation. The largest ratio of the area considered for the thermal environment was 83% on Green Garden, which consists of 44% of building shade, 21% of tree shade, 7% of water surface, and 11% of green cover. It is appropriate to consider the thermal environment design of outdoor space in the order of shade by buildings, shading by trees, and improvement of surface materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

22 pages, 3150 KiB

Open AccessReview

Urban Overheating and Cooling Potential in Australia: An Evidence-Based Review

by Komali Yenneti, Lan Ding, Deo Prasad, Giulia Ulpiani, Riccardo Paolini, Shamila Haddad and Mattheos Santamouris

Climate 2020, 8(11), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli8110126 - 4 Nov 2020

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 13344

Abstract

Cities in Australia are experiencing unprecedented levels of urban overheating, which has caused a significant impact on the country’s socioeconomic environment. This article provides a comprehensive review on urban overheating, its impact on health, energy, economy, and the heat mitigation potential of a series of strategies in Australia. Existing studies show that the average urban heat island (UHI) intensity ranges from 1.0 °C to 13.0 °C. The magnitude of urban overheating phenomenon in Australia is determined by a combination of UHI effects and dualistic atmospheric circulation systems (cool sea breeze and hot desert winds). The strong relation between multiple characteristics contribute to dramatic fluctuations and high spatiotemporal variabilities in urban overheating. In addition, urban overheating contributes to serious impacts on human health, energy costs, thermal comfort, labour productivity, and social behaviour. Evidence suggest that cool materials, green roofs, vertical gardens, urban greenery, and water-based technologies can significantly alleviate the UHI effect, cool the ambient air, and create thermally balanced cities. Urban greenery, especially trees, has a high potential for mitigation. Trees and hedges can reduce the average maximum UHI by 1.0 °C. The average maximum mitigation performance values of green roofs and green walls are 0.2 °C and 0.1 °C, respectively. Reflective roofs and pavements can reduce the average maximum UHI by 0.3 °C. In dry areas, water has a high cooling potential. The average maximum cooling potential using only one technology is 0.4 °C. When two or more technologies are used at the same time, the average maximum UHI drop is 1.5 °C. The mitigation strategies identified in this article can help the governments and other stakeholders manage urban heating in the natural and built environment, and save health, energy, and economic costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Built Environment in a Changing Climate: Interactions, Challenges and Perspectives)

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