Assessment and management models of the built environment

Ecodesign in materials, construction systems and the built environment

Digitization of construction and its surroundings. Construction 4.0

Urban Heat Islands and Thermal Comfort: A Case Study of Zorrotzaurre Island in Bilbao

Authors:
Irantzu Alvarez, Laura Quesada-Ganuza, Estibaliz Briz, Leire Garmendia
Year:
2021
Journal:
Sustainability
Quartile:
Q2
Volume:
13 (11)
ISBN/ISSN:
2071-1050
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116106
Description:

<b>ABSTRACT</b></br>

This study assesses the impact of a heat wave on the thermal comfort of an unconstructed area: the North Zone of the Island of Zorrotzaurre (Bilbao, Spain). In this study, the impact of urban planning as proposed in the master plan on thermal comfort is modeled using the ENVI-met program. Likewise, the question of whether the urbanistic proposals are designed to create more resilient urban environments is analyzed in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events, especially heat waves. The study is centered on the analysis of temperature variables (air temperature and average radiant temperature) as well as wind speed and relative humidity. This was completed with the parameters of thermal comfort, the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) and the Universal Temperature Climate Index (UTCI) for the hours of the maximum and minimum daily temperatures. The results demonstrated the viability of analyzing thermal comfort through simulations with the ENVI-met.</br>

<b>ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS</b></br>

This research was funded by research group IT1314-19 of the Basque Government.

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