Software
ENVI-met Microclimate Simulation Software
ENVI-met is a 3D microclimate simulation software used to simulate air temperature, humidity, wind, and radiation for any outdoor environment.
Design.
The process of designing a model with ENVI-met starts with the selection of the appropriate climate input data. As an next step you define the model domain by specifying the size, location, and resolution. You have a variety of additional options, such as the type of land cover and the type of vegetation.
Simulate.
ENVI-met is designed for microscale analysis with a typical horizontal resolution from 0.5 to 5 m and a typical time frame of 24 to 48 hours with a time step of few seconds. This resolution allows you to analyse even small-scale interactions between individual buildings, surfaces and plants.
Analyse.
Use ENVI-met for predicting, analysing, and visualizing the microclimate of cities, buildings, and green spaces. You have a variety of applications where to use it, such as building design, urban planning, climate change adaption and energy analysis.
The calculations of the microclimate model include:
Short and long wave radiation fluxes considering shading, multiple reflections and back radiation from surfaces, buildings and vegetation
Determination of evapotranspiration and sensible heat fluxes to and from the plant, including full simulation of all plant physical parameters (e.g. photosynthetic rate)
Dynamic calculation of the surfaces and wall temperatures for each façade and roof element with up to three material layers and seven calculation points in the wall
Consideration of façade and roof greening in relation to all energy flows
Simulation of water and heat exchange within the soil system – also regarding the water supply of plants
Three-dimensional representation of trees using skeleton models to simulate biomechanical loading and deformation due to wind forces
Dispersion of gases and particles – the model considers particles (including sedimentation and deposition on leaves and surfaces) as well as inert and reactive gases of the NO-NO₂ ozone reaction cycle
Determination of various biometeorological metrics such as Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT), Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)
Comprehensive programs for the management and processing of digital data, for the creation of “digital twins” and for the graphical evaluation
Use the power of Python to analyse and visualise data or to script your application directly out of the ENVI-met interface
FAQ
Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions on basic ENVI-met topics.
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ENVI-met is a three-dimensional microclimate simulation software that makes it possible to create sustainable living conditions in a constantly changing environment. ENVI-met’s interactive applications can scientifically analyze the effects of different planning scenarios developed by architects or urban planners.
The calculation modules of ENVI-met cover a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines – from fluid dynamics and thermodynamics to plant physiology and soil science.
The guiding principle of ENVI-met is to integrate all these different approaches into a single model, so that all elements can interact with each other and reproduce the synergies observed.
This makes ENVI-met different to other modeling platforms for environmental simulation. There are many that calculate airflow between buildings or solar radiation on facades, but few consider the complex urban environment as a single system and consider the multitude of processes that take place between elements.
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ENVI-met is a microclimate simulation software. It simulates a specific meteorological situation (e.g., hot summer days) for a specific planning scenario (in general the size of a neighborhood). Horizontal resolution typically ranges from 1-10 m with simulated periods from 1 to 5 days.
The size of the model area is usually between 50×50 and 500×500 grid cells horizontally and 20-50 grid cells vertically. A very typical application would be a comparison of two scenarios (base case versus a greened case) both analyzed within a 48 hours period and a model area size of 250x250x30 grid cells (X, Y, Z) in a resolution of 3 m, resulting in an area of 750×750 m.
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With ENVI-met you can calculate environments of various sizes – from individual building blocks to entire urban areas. However, larger models will require a more powerful computer and more storage space.
ENVI-met is based on physical equations and was developed for high-resolution simulations. Nevertheless, the basic model physics should also work for much larger areas and coarser grid resolutions. Therefore, ENVI-met can also be used for mesoscale models. The prerequisite for this is that the features of the area can be represented within the digital model area concept used in ENVI-met (for example, there are no mixed land use options in ENVI-met as in some mesoscale models).
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As indicated in the previous question, ENVI-met is designed for microclimatic analysis. While some building variables can be calculated, ENVI-met is not recommended for Building Performance Simulation (BPS) analysis. However, with some effort, ENVI-met simulations can be run for a whole year and these results can be used to support BPS.
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Yes, ENVI-met can be run on cloud services if Windows can be used as the operating system.
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Theoretically yes, but it will probably run much slower in a virtualized environment. It would be better to create a partition in the hard drive to install Windows if ENVI-met simulations are needed on that computer. Alternatively, an option could be to execute the simulation in a cloud service.
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Yes, with the Science and Business licenses you can run parallel simulations and thus significantly reduce the simulation time.
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Yes, if the system has enough RAM and CPU cores are available for this purpose.
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Yes and No. On one hand, ENVI-met is a typical Windows program, on the other hand, it requires certain system requirements (e.g., ENVI-met is permanently using RAM for writing and reading during a simulation).
In parallel mode, ENVI-met also uses all the CPU power it can get, but it still allows other programs to be executed. The computer can nevertheless react slower to other tasks. ENVI-met may appear to be frozen or “Not Responding”, but it is actively working in the background.
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There are many documents and video tutorials on our webpage, which are regularly updated. In addition, there is our support center, to exchange ideas with other users.
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The computing power mainly depends on the CPU speed and the number of cores. More cores and faster CPU speed facilitate faster simulations. The RAM requirements will increase with future versions of ENVI-met and computers with low memory could face limitations on the size of the model area. The simulation performance does not depend on the graphic card since all calculations are performed by the CPU.
The need for hard disk space depends principally on the case of application. An average 48 h simulation of a larger model area may use around 100 GB. Since several scenarios are usually simulated for comparison, the hard disk space could be a limitation if there is no other space available where to store the simulation results. -
CPU: Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2
RAM: 4 GB
OS: Windows 10 or better
VIDEO CARD: no specific requirements
FREE DISK SPACE: more than 10 GB -
CPU: modern 6 or 8 core CPU, Intel i5-8400 –
Ryzen 5 1600X or better
RAM: 16-32 GB
OS: Windows 10 (64bit) or better
VIDEO CARD: no specific requirements
FREE DISK SPACE: more than 100 GB -
CPU: modern 16 or more core CPU,
Intel i9-7960 – Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX or better
RAM: 64-128 GB
OS: Windows 10 (64bit) or better
VIDEO CARD: no specific requirements
FREE DISK SPACE: more than 500 GB
Get to know ENVI-met
Main programs
Monde
Digitize your model environment.
Spaces
Develop model spaces and generate (.INX) files to run a simulation.
ENVI-guide
Create new simulation files (.SIMX) or edit existing files on an interactive basis.
ENVI-core
Perform your simulations in this central calculation module.
BIO-met
Calculate human thermal comfort indices (e.g. PET or UTCI) based on simulation data.
Leonardo
Analyze your model results and create two and three-dimensional maps and animations.
Additional programs
Database Manager
Be guided step by step through every single function of the software.
Albero
Simulate complex three-dimensional plants and determine their properties and appearance.
TreePass
Available from 2024
Calculate and simulate the biomechanics and site conditions for trees with a resolution of a few centimeters.
Project Manager
Organize your projects into different workspaces and define individual settings for each one.
ENVI-met – worldwide validated
Analysis of open urban design as a tool for pedestrian thermal comfort enhancement in Moroccan climate
A comprehensive idealized study of different urban design strategies to improve human thermal comfort in the four climate regions of Morocco (subhumid and humid, arid with cold, winter arid climate and Saharan climate) using numerical simulations.
An ENVI-met microclimate model was employed and validated against measured data (air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) over two points with different surface properties in summer and winter. The model outputs were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.
A comparison of analysis performed through mesoscale (WRF) and microscale (ENVI-met) modeling
A comprehensive comparison study on the numerical modeling evaluation of urban green strategies in modifying the urban microclimate of the Greater Toronto Area during heatwaves event using both microscale (ENVI-met) and mesoscale (WRF) models.
Robust validations of the two models were carried out by comparing the model outputs (air temperature) to measured data. Results showed that the simulated outputs of both models have good agreements with measured data. In addition, both models confirm similar results in how greenery enhancements can improve human thermal comfort in a continental climate.
Impact of tree locations and arrangements on outdoor microclimates and human thermal comfort in an urban residential environment
A compendious study on the evaluation of the impacts of tree location and arrangement in maximising their cooling potentials on outdoor microclimate and improving human thermal comfort using ENVI-met.
ENVI-met simulated outputs (air temperature) were validated with experimental measured data. Results showed that ENVI-met adequately simulates the air temperature by capturing the spatial location of local maxima in air temperature across the neighborhood in the morning and afternoon transects.
Neighborhood designs for low-density social housing energy efficiency: Case study of an arid city in Argentina
A comprehensive study that evaluates the cooling potential of different social housing neighborhood designs in reducing summertime energy consumption and improving the energy efficiency at the neighborhood scale over a desert climate.
An ENVI-met microclimate model was employed and validated by comparing its results with a series of air temperature measurements. It showed that ENVI-met simulated outputs have a good agreement with measured data.
Calibration process and parametrization of tropical plants using ENVI-met V4–São Paulo case study
A case study which aimed to improve the process of calibration of ENVI-met model V.4 based on air temperature in both built-up and vegetated areas, considering various parameters and models of trees.
Field measurements were carried out in the city of São Paulo to monitor representative hot weather conditions inside an urban park and in a non-vegetated area nearby. After a calibration process in which ENVI-met modelling parameters were tested and several simulations were run, a high agreement between simulation results and on-site measurements with an RMSE of 0.7 K was achieved.
How do paving and planting strategies affect microclimate conditions and thermal comfort in apartment complexes?
A detailed study on the impact of different urban design and green mitigation strategies on thermal comfort in a hot summer continental climate.
To test the reliability of ENVI-met model, the model was run for 24 h and the outputs (air temperature) were compared with field measurement from a nearby weather station. The results showed a good agreement between the predicted and observational data.
Evaluating the vertical cooling performances of urban vegetation scenarios in a residential environment
A compendious study that presents a novel idea on the cooling potential of vegetation in the vertical direction using ENVI-met microclimate model.
The ENVI-met model simulated output (air temperature) was validated against measurement data. Validation results showed that the error merging is within the acceptable limit and that ENVI-met is a reliable tool for investigating the influence of vegetation on the urban thermal environment.
Evaluation of the ENVI-met vegetation model of four common tree species in a subtropical hot-humid area
A comprehensive study that evaluates the reliability and robustness of ENVI-met tree model outputs for the cooling potential of four different tree species in a humid subtropical environment.
ENVI-met tree model simulation outputs were validated against measured data. The result showed that simulated canopy air temperature, solar radiation air absolute humidity and water vapor flux had a good agreement with measured data.
A study of the impact of major urban heat island factors in a hot climate courtyard: The case of the University of Sharjah, UAE
A comprehensive study that aimed to explore the major factors that influence the urban heat island in hot climatic conditions by adopting a subjective analysis using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the objective analysis represented by the ENVI-met simulation.
For the software validation, ENVI-met model simulations were validated with on-site measurement taken on the same date and time the experiment was conducted. The results showed a good agreement between the measured site temperature and the ENVI-met simulations.
The effect of natural environments on the urban microclimate by Using ENVI-met 4.3 simulation program
A study demonstrating the impact of various urban landscape elements on the urban microclimate using ENVI-met microclimate model in scenario analysis.
ENVI-met model outputs (air temperature) were validated against measured air temperature values. The results showed that ENVI-met adequately simulated the temperature data.
Microclimate models to predict the contribution of facade materials to the canopy layer heat island in hot-humid areas
Detailed research on the microclimatic impacts of facade materials in mitigating the urban heat island over the hot humid environment of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
An ENVI-met building model was employed and validated against measured variables. Validation results showed that simulated air temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity, and mean radiant temperature have a good correlation with measured data.
Evaluation of green infrastructure effects on tropical Sri Lankan urban context as an urban heat island adaptation strategy
A parametric study that examines the cooling potential of urban green infrastructure in mitigating urban heat islands in a hot and humid tropical climate.
An ENVI-met microclimate model was employed to simulate the impact of different designs of urban green infrastructure. The model output (temperature) was validated against measured values over three different surfaces at heights 0 m and 1.5 m. The results showed that ENVI-met adequately forecast the variables. Thus the study confirms ENVI-met suitability over the region.
Holistic approach to assess co-benefits of local climate mitigation in a hot humid region of Australia
An exhaustive study that presents a novel and holistic approach to urban overheating mitigation through a combination of different heat mitigation strategies and quantifies the benefit of heat mitigation to human health, energy consumption, and peak electricity demand in a humid tropical city.
An ENVI-met microclimate model was employed and validated by comparing model outputs with experimental data obtained from a network of 14 temperature sensors in the city. Results showed that the simulated data showed a good agreement with observed meteorological station data generally.
Evaluation of sustainable strategies and design solutions at high-latitude urban settlements to enhance outdoor thermal comfort
An unique study in a high latitude area on the evaluation of urban design strategies in combating the impacts of urban heat and improving outdoor thermal comfort using numerical simulations.
An ENVI-met microclimatic model was employed in the numerical simulation. The results of the simulations were validated in three phases in which an alternating number of nesting grids were utilized while adjusting the meteorological boundary conditions. In each case, the simulated outputs (air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) were compared with measurement data. The results showed that ENVI-met outputs have a good agreement with experimentally measured data.
The impact of increasing urban surface albedo on outdoor summer thermal comfort within a university campus
A comprehensive study that demonstrates the impact of urban surface modifications and design strategies on outdoor thermal comfort using a numerical modeling approach.
ENVI-met model outputs (air temperature) were validated against measured data. The results showed a good agreement between the measured and simulated air temperature, thus confirming the effectiveness of ENVI-met microclimate model in this climate.
Are urban water bodies really cooling?
A comprehensive study from the REALCOOL project that demonstrates the cooling potential of urban water bodies at the local scale during a typical heatwave day in summer in the Netherlands using ENVI-met microclimate model.
Results from an older ENVI-met version and a newer version (v4.1.3) for water temperature simulations were compared with experimental measurements. Results showed that ENVI-met v4.1.3 produced a more accurate result because of the flexibility in choosing the turbulent mixing and light absorption characteristics of water.
Numerical modelling and experimental validation of the microclimatic impacts of water mist cooling in urban areas
A rare paper that demonstrates the cooling capacity of the water-mist system in mitigating the impact of urban heat and assessed the capability of the ENVI-met model to adequately predict the microclimate perturbation in the misted area.
ENVI-met model outputs (air temperature and relative humidity) were validated against observed data. The results showed that air temperature and relative humidity were well estimated and thus suitable for the experiment.
Outdoor comfort conditions in urban areas: On citizens’ perspective about microclimate mitigation of urban transit areas
A comprehensive experimental and numerical study of suitable microclimatic interventions aimed at improving pedestrian thermal comfort in the summer of a warm temperate Mediterranean climate.
The simulation outputs of an ENVI-met model (air temperature, relative humidity, global solar radiation, reflected short-wave radiation, and surface temperature) were validated against experimental measurement data. The ENVI-met model simulation results agreed with measured data and that the error merging of the model outputs was considered acceptable for the experiment.
Modeling transpiration and leaf temperature of urban trees – A case study evaluating the microclimate model ENVI-met against measurement data
A detailed study that evaluates the capability of the ENVI-met vegetation model to adequately simulate plant transpiration rate and shaded leaf temperatures.
ENVI-met model outputs were validated against measured leaf temperature and sap flux. The results showed that the ENVI-met vegetation model adequately captured the magnitude and the short-term variations in the transpiration rate that were caused by short term variations in cloud cover and good agreement with the measured leaf temperature.
Evaluating the performance of ENVI-met model in diurnal cycles for different meteorological conditions
An exhaustive validation study on the effectiveness of ENVI-met model to adequately simulate microclimate variables under different meteorological conditions in a humid temperate climate.
ENVI-met outputs (air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and mean radiant temperature) were validated against measurement data. Results showed a close agreement between model simulation outputs and measured data.
Numerical modeling validation for the microclimate thermal condition of semi-closed courtyard spaces between buildings
A detailed evaluation study that validates the predictive potential of an ENVI-met vegetation model in a semi-closed courtyard. ENVI-met model outputs (air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and mean radiant temperature) were validated against measured and estimated values.
A good agreement was found between the simulated and measured data. The study provides further confidence on the predictive capability of ENVI-met model in simulating microclimate variables inside medium-narrow courtyards with good accuracy.