Ricerc@Sapienza

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is constantly increasing the energy consumption of buildings, especially in summer periods. The energy gap between the estimated energy performance - often simulated without considering UHI - and the real operational consumption is especially relevant for institutional buildings, where the cooling needs are in general higher than in other kind of buildings, due to more internal gains (people, appliances) and different architectural design (more transparent façades and light walls).

While urban areas expand both in terms of population and built/paved surfaces, cities are facing growing challenges. In particular, the wellbeing and comfort of urban population is of primary importance, and has to be pursued together with other objectives, such as the reduction of energy consumptions and emissions. These issues are all related, since energy consumptions lead to higher emissions, which translate into higher temperatures in cities, thus reduced thermal comfort for pedestrians, and air quality deterioration.