Climate-friendly urban planning with sustainable architecture
Sealed surfaces and dense buildings contribute to urban heat island effects, which are exacerbated by global warming. These effects reduce the quality of life through higher temperatures and poorer air quality, which in turn drives up energy consumption for cooling and air filtration in urban areas. Often seen as part of the problem of climate change, cities can also be part of the solution. Climate-smart urban development and measures to improve the urban climate are essential for healthy living in urban areas. Urban planners and decision makers need reliable planning tools that take into account a variety of factors to effectively design sustainable architecture and urban climate. The urban climate simulation software ENVI-met supports the development of sustainable settlement and mobility solutions by analyzing the impact of building architecture and urban vegetation on the climate. It facilitates the evaluation of measures to improve the quality of life.
The greening and shading of buildings mitigates temperature increases and can reduce heat stress in urban areas, benefiting vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and the chronically ill. ENVI-met is a scientifically based tool that can be used to study the effects of structural changes on the urban climate, including the effects of different building materials, rainfall infiltration and vegetation development. Careful planning is essential for climate-friendly urban design with reduced surface sealing, abundant vegetation, and green facades. ENVI-met supports optimal solutions for sustainable urban development.
ENVI-met Software Features: Advancing Microclimate Simulation and Analysis for Cities
City-Focused Capabilities: Enhancing Sustainable Design and Climate-Responsive Urban Planning with ENVI-met
Solar analysis
Shadow casting
Three-dimensional solar and shadow simulations
Reflection analysis
Complex calculation of multiple reflections in the model environment
High-resolution module
Dynamic boundary conditions for the analysis of building physics
Pollutant dispersion
Air pollutants
Analysis of dispersion, transformation and deposition in urban areas
Holistic microclimate simulation
Pollutant dispersion modelling for the assessment of reactive and non-reactive gases under consideration of the microclimate
User-defined traffic emission profiles
Pollutant analysis based on customizable vehicle fleet emission factors
Building physics
Façade temperatures
High-resolution simulation of façade and wall temperatures in direct interaction with the urban climate as well as estimation of building energy consumption
Exchange processes with green roofs and façades
High-resolution modeling of vegetated surfaces and their substrates, including heat and moisture transfer, as well as their interactions with the building
Green & Blue Technologies
Vegetation modeling
Simulation of evapotranspiration, CO₂ intake and leaf temperature based on photosynthetic rate
Green wall modeling
Calculation of the radiative transfer of the vegetation layer, considering substrate layers and wall structures
Water mist simulation
Simulation of the cooling effect of fine water spray on air temperature
Wind flow
Wind speed and patterns in complex environments
Simulation of three-dimensional wind and turbulence fields
Effects on the flow field
Estimation of wind conditions at each point in the model, considering vegetation, thermal conditions and local weather
Outdoor thermal comfort
Thermal Comfort Indices
Calculation of different stationary bioclimatological Indices such as Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), SET* or Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI).
Dynamic Thermal Comfort
Simulation of biometeorological Processes and Thermal Comfort of moving pedestrians considering the constantly changing microclimatological boundary conditions.
Vegetation Analysis
Simulation of wind stress and tree damage
Illustration of the risk of mechanical damage to the branch level
Tree Site Assessment
Comprehensive analysis of microclimate growing conditions for existing or planned tree locations
Humidity
Feedback analysis
Analysis of feedback between different “Green and Blue” technologies and the microclimate model
Innovation City Bottrop: Pioneering Sustainable Urban Development
ENVI-met City License
for the public sector
No commercial use
Professional technical support
Service releases are included
Multi-year discount
All products are delivered electronically.