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Evaluation of the impact of the surrounding urban morphology on building energy consumption

Journal Article · · Solar Energy
; ; ; ;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Department of Building, National University of Singapore (Singapore)
  2. Center for Sustainable Asian Cities, National University of Singapore (Singapore)
  3. Institute of High Performance Computing (Singapore)
Empirical models of minimum (T{sub min}), average (T{sub avg}) and maximum (T{sub max}) air temperature for Singapore estate have been developed and validated based on a long-tem field measurement. There are three major urban elements, which influence the urban temperature at the local scale. Essentially, they are buildings, greenery and pavement. Other related parameters identified for the study, such as green plot ratio (GnPR), sky view factor (SVF), surrounding building density, the wall surface area, pavement area, albedo are also evaluated to give a better understanding on the likely impact of the modified urban morphology on energy consumption. The objective of this research is to assess and to compare how the air temperature variation of urban condition can affect the building energy consumption in tropical climate of Singapore. In order to achieve this goal, a series of numerical calculation and building simulation are utilized. A total of 32 cases, considering different urban morphologies, are identified and evaluated to give better a understanding on the implication of urban forms, with the reference to the effect of varying density, height and greenery density. The results show that GnPR, which related to the present of greenery, have the most significant impact on the energy consumption by reducing the temperature by up to 2 C. The results also strongly indicate an energy saving of 4.5% if the urban elements are addressed effectively. (author)
OSTI ID:
21401371
Journal Information:
Solar Energy, Journal Name: Solar Energy Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 85; ISSN 0038-092X; ISSN SRENA4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English