An Investigation of the Thermal Sensation and Vegetation Strategies in Hot-Semi-Arid Urban Neighbourhood
摘要
Urbanization is one of the significant pillars of economic development. It is also responsible for deteriorating thermal comfort levels in developed and developing countries. Past studies have recommended different alternatives to maintain the desired level of thermal comfort in urban spaces. Vegetation is best approach in various climatic zones such as Hot, Warm, Temperate, and others. However, the investigation on thermal sensation and appropriate vegetation strategies in composite climate conditions like Hot-Semi-Arid urban neighborhood has not been explored yet. This study aimed to bridge the mentioned gap. To this end, a questionnaire from the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 55 standard was implemented to capture the thermal sensation in the Hot-Semi-Arid climate zone. A questionnaire survey was performed and perceptions were captured from fifty-five respondents. The data analysis highlighted that 24% of the respondents were disappointed with the temperature in their space and about 85% of the respondents were suffering from either a Cool/Cold or Warm/Hot thermal sensation. This study identified various vegetation strategies and proposed a framework to comprehend the impact of vegetation strategies with the aid of automation platforms such as ENVI-met® to deal with such dissatisfaction. The study results would be helpful for Architects, Urban Planners, and Urban Designers to design a thermally comfortable built environment.