In this paper we propose to evaluate the microclimatic characteristics of a neighbourhood located in the city of Nablus (Palestine) and study how the wind impacts the energy demand for heating and cooling the buildings.
The present paper proposes a methodology to couple a Canopy Interface Model (CIM) with the software CitySim. CIM provides high resolution vertical profiles of various meteorological parameters (wind speed, temperature and turbulent kinetic energy) while taking into account the vertical distribution of buildings as well as the density of different neighbourhoods. In order to measure the benefits of such a coupling, the results obtained with this methodology are compared back with the regular use of climatic conditions, showing how the prevailing winds flow inside the urban canyons and detailing their impact on the energy demand of buildings during the different periods of a year.
The results from this study indicate that urban planning has a significant influence on the local meteorological conditions in highly dense areas. This in turn impacts the energy demand of the buildings via two main variables: the access to solar gains and the local estimated convective heat transfer coefficients. This paper initiates possible interesting studies that will be carried out in the future to determine with more precision how the proper modelling of these two variables can help in designing more sustainable neighbourhoods taking into account local climatic conditions.

Conference Title

PLEA2016 Los Angeles - Cities, Buildings, People: Towards Regenerative Environments

Conference Country

United States of America

Conference Date

July 11, 2016 - July 13, 2016

Conference Sponsor

University of southern California

Additional Info

Conference Website