Urban physics simulation for climate change adaptation of buildings and urban areas

Climate observations and analyses by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and national meteorological organizations show that climate change is occurring. This chapter discusses the simulation of urban thermal microclimate with a focus on heat waves in urban areas, the simulation of overheating of buildings and the effects of adaptation measures to limit temperatures in buildings and urban areas during heat waves. In order to assess heat waves, urban heat islands and climate change adaptation measures for urban areas, different simulation tools can be employed. The spatial scales are the meteorological microscale and the building scale; the methods are computational fluid dynamics and building energy simulation. Adaptation measures investigated at the neighborhood scale are avenue trees, green facades and green roofs; adaptation measures at the building scale are increased thermal resistance, increased thermal mass, increased short-wave reflectivity of facades and roofs, peak ventilation, vegetated roofs and exterior solar shading.