Cities & Health
Air pollution
Clean air is essential for the well-being of humans, animals and plants. It is scientifically proven that air pollution affects health and the environment. However, high traffic density and the burning of fuel or biomass are creating a mixture of air pollutants, including particulate matter, that represent a health risk to people.
By 2050, two thirds of the world’s population will live in cities. It is therefore more important than ever to improve the urban climate and thus the urban quality of life with the help of environmentally friendly infrastructure solutions.
Analysis of air pollution by simulating site-specific scenarios
Analysis of air pollution by simulating site-specific scenarios
ENVI-met’s pollution dispersion module allows you to simulate the synchronous release, dispersion and deposition of up to six different pollutants including particles, passive gases and reactive gases.
Sedimentation and deposition on surfaces and vegetation are taken into account, as well as photochemical reactions between NO, NO₂, and Ozone (O₃). ENVI-met also accounts for the release of BVOC through plants.
The results can be used to better understand the dynamics of local pollutant dispersion and guide the development of urban streetscapes for the improvement of air quality and human health.
Thermal Comfort
Human well-being is conditioned by the subjective perception of temperature, which depends on solar radiation, wind, air temperature and humidity. These climatic elements can be positively or negatively influenced by the building components and materials as well as the surrounding vegetation. ENVI-met simulations enable you to understand the thermal performance of a city at block or district level, which is essential to mitigate the effects of Urban Heat Islands.
Holistic analysis of vegetation and thermal comfort of people
Holistic analysis of vegetation and thermal comfort of people
ENVI-met allows you to analyse the design impacts on the local environment, through the specification of ground plane and building materials, and the implementation of vegetation on walls or roofs of any conceivable configuration to help mitigate factors such as urban heat stress.
The software automatically calculates mean radiant temperature when running simulations and can be analysed using the included data visualizer, Leonardo.
In addition, with the post-processing tool BIO-met you can calculate human comfort indices such as PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) and PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature), which summarizes the impact of the four main atmospheric variables: Air Temperature, Radiative Temperature, Wind Speed and Humidity.
