Arabic

Dr.Khaled Al- Sallal

Department of Architecture,UAE University

Investigating comfort ventilation in waterfront urban environments: the case of Dubai

Authors: Khaled A. Al-Sallal; Laila Al-Rais

Ventilation is essential for health, comfort and cooling. Natural ventilation is less effective in urban than in rural environments due to several factors such as condensed building blocks, pollution and the phenomenon of Urban Heat Islands (UHIs). The main aim of the study is to investigate passive cooling performance in urban contexts in the harsh hot climate of Dubai. Three cases were simulated using CFD. It is observed that the traditional urban context resists funneling of airflow inside the streets especially when the prevailing wind speed is less than 3m/s; which can cause thermal discomfort at the pedestrian level. When the wind speed is higher (5m/s), wind can reach deeper inside the streets providing better potential for thermal comfort. Yet, it will also result in creating eddies at the building corners, causing discomfort at these locations. Generally the results were reasonable and can establish the grounds for more future investigation.