The Role of Architectural Skin Emissivity Influencing Outdoor Microclimatic Comfort: A Case Study in Bologna, Italy

Kristian Fabbri (), Jacopo Gaspari, Alessia Costa and Sofia Principi
Additional contact information
Kristian Fabbri: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Jacopo Gaspari: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Alessia Costa: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Sofia Principi: Department of Architecture, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-18

Abstract: This article examines the influence of the emissivity of façade materials on outdoor microclimatic comfort. The developed methodology is based on the collection of input data regarding the site, the geometrical and technological characterization of the building envelope and the definition of the associated emissivity, the development of alternative emissivity-driven scenarios, the scenario simulation to obtain Outdoor Microclimate Maps (OMMs), and their interpretation and discussion. The operative steps of the proposed simplified method are applied to a specific case study in the city of Bologna made of a mix of buildings, including some towers overlooking an inner courtyard. The emissivity of the façade materials is assumed as the main variable. The results show how, by properly addressing the design choices, it is possible to achieve significant improvements in the outdoor microclimate for the space in-between the considered volumes.

Keywords: low-emission materials; emissivity; building façade; solar radiation; building envelope; outdoor comfort (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/22/14669/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/22/14669/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:22:p:14669-:d:966052

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().