TY - JOUR
T1 - Dual impacts of solar-reflective façades in high-density urban areas on building energy use and outdoor thermal environments
AU - Chen, Chenshun
AU - Wang, Julian
AU - Zhang, Huijin
AU - Xu, Xinyue
AU - Hinkle, Laura Elizabeth
AU - Chao, Xiao
AU - Shi, Qian
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2024/12/1
Y1 - 2024/12/1
N2 - In the context of rising urban temperatures, this investigation delves into the impacts of solar reflectance on glazed facades, shedding light on urban microclimates and the resulting thermal experiences. Recent retrofit strategies have employed low emissivity and high solar reflective materials to enhance energy efficiency and indoor comfort against climbing outdoor temperatures. Despite these advances, adverse effects on outdoor heat conditions are often reported due to the intrinsic relationships among the glazed facades’ optical and thermal properties, highlighting a gap in thorough, quantitative assessments in this domain. Accordingly, this study aims to bridge this gap, examining the comprehensive effects of glazed facades’ solar reflectance on building energy performance and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) in densely populated urban settings. Utilizing computational simulations and empirical analysis, we scrutinized changes in outdoor solar radiation, ground temperature, UTCI, and building-specific energy demands, including heating, cooling, and lighting energy use, correlating these with varying façade's solar reflectance levels during peak summer periods. Results affirm the potential of highly solar reflective facades to substantially cut cooling energy needs by mitigating solar heat gain and thermal conductance. However, a notable byproduct is the upsurge in UTCI, signaling increased heat stress risk within urban canyons. Our comprehensive, multi-objective optimization approach seeks to harmonize the solar reflectance of facades, aiming to reconcile energy conservation with the imperative of maintaining urban thermal comfort. This research contributes significantly to urban retrofit strategies and also guides the potential sustainable urban and landscape design that harmonizes urban energy savings with the mitigation of urban heat implications.
AB - In the context of rising urban temperatures, this investigation delves into the impacts of solar reflectance on glazed facades, shedding light on urban microclimates and the resulting thermal experiences. Recent retrofit strategies have employed low emissivity and high solar reflective materials to enhance energy efficiency and indoor comfort against climbing outdoor temperatures. Despite these advances, adverse effects on outdoor heat conditions are often reported due to the intrinsic relationships among the glazed facades’ optical and thermal properties, highlighting a gap in thorough, quantitative assessments in this domain. Accordingly, this study aims to bridge this gap, examining the comprehensive effects of glazed facades’ solar reflectance on building energy performance and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) in densely populated urban settings. Utilizing computational simulations and empirical analysis, we scrutinized changes in outdoor solar radiation, ground temperature, UTCI, and building-specific energy demands, including heating, cooling, and lighting energy use, correlating these with varying façade's solar reflectance levels during peak summer periods. Results affirm the potential of highly solar reflective facades to substantially cut cooling energy needs by mitigating solar heat gain and thermal conductance. However, a notable byproduct is the upsurge in UTCI, signaling increased heat stress risk within urban canyons. Our comprehensive, multi-objective optimization approach seeks to harmonize the solar reflectance of facades, aiming to reconcile energy conservation with the imperative of maintaining urban thermal comfort. This research contributes significantly to urban retrofit strategies and also guides the potential sustainable urban and landscape design that harmonizes urban energy savings with the mitigation of urban heat implications.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.enbuild.2024.114926
DO - 10.1016/j.enbuild.2024.114926
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85207246426
SN - 0378-7788
VL - 324
JO - Energy and Buildings
JF - Energy and Buildings
M1 - 114926
ER -