Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Urban Spaces in Singapore

Abstract

This study investigates outdoor thermal comfort in urban spaces in Singapore. The human thermal comfort investigation and outdoor thermal comfort prediction model proposed in this study were based on field surveys which consisted of both physical measurement and subjective measurement. Both microclimatic parameters and thermal adaptation factors were found to affect human thermal comfort in outdoor urban spaces. The outdoor thermal comfort model (TSV-PD model) proposed in this study provides a useful tool to evaluate the thermal comfort of users under certain outdoor thermal environment in Singapore. This study examines the effect of various urban design strategies on outdoor thermal comfort based on the proposed thermal comfort prediction model and ENVI-met numerical simulation. The results show that outdoor thermal comfort can be improved by means of appropriate urban design since street orientation, aspect ratio (H/W) and vegetation were all found to affect human thermal comfort in outdoor urban spaces.