DESIGN COMFORTABLE CITIES
Overheating in cities is currently a big issue
We advice on building comfortable cities with advanced numerical technologies
Less heat means more energy saving, more comfort and more social cohesion
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About us
ECOTEN is an engineering consultancy firm working on providing energy efficients solutions for the built environment. Our activities range from the building scale to the city scale. Among other activities, we concentrate on urban comfort and the problem of urban heat islands.
BREEAM / LEED
LCA / LCC
LCA / LCC
GREEN ARCHITECTURE
URBAN COMFORT
SMART CITY
Overheated Cities - A SERIOUS Challenge
An urban heat island, is a metropolitan area that's a lot warmer than the rural areas surrounding it. They are created due to the modification of land surfaces in cities as well as due to human activities.
The challenges posed by increasing global urbanization are magnified by climate change impacts in urban areas, causing more discomfort, health risk and higher energy consumption.
Heat Map
We produce urban heat maps from Landsat Earth-observing satellite data which is a high definition graphical representation of prevailing heat distribution across an entire city. With this, its possible to identify the hot and cold regions of a city :
→ Cold regions are suitable areas for developing facilities for vulnerable people, such as kindergartens and retirement houses.
→ Hot regions are not suitable areas and hence they should be renovated with urban heat island mitigation strategies.
With our heat maps, we provide our customers an easy way to visualise temperature in their urban areas for proposing urban development strategies.
→ Cold regions are suitable areas for developing facilities for vulnerable people, such as kindergartens and retirement houses.
→ Hot regions are not suitable areas and hence they should be renovated with urban heat island mitigation strategies.
With our heat maps, we provide our customers an easy way to visualise temperature in their urban areas for proposing urban development strategies.
VULNERABILITY MAP
We produce urban heat vulnerability maps by assessing the sensitivity, exposure and adaptive capacity of each district, region or neighbourhood of a city and integrating them into a single index called the heat vulnerability index which ranges from 0 to 1. This map is designed to help identify the areas within any city where people of the vulnerable age groups (age < 16 and age > 60) are most mortally vulnerable to extreme heat events like heat waves as well as urban heat island effects.
Urban Climate assessment
There are several strategies for mitigating urban heat island effect (adding water-bodies or vegetation, painting building wall and ground with lighter colours, using innovative material, etc.). But each neighbourhood reacts differently to these strategies due to the complexities of physical phenomena involved within the urban microclimate.
With our urban microclimate simulations, we assess the different urban development scenarios and their impacts upon the outdoor comfort for a given neighbourhood.
For our clients, we provide the optimal urban development scenario to reduce heat during summers and improve outdoor comfort
Urban development are proposed by our clients, our partners or ourselves. We assess many urban variation, affecting all the aspect of the urban microclimate.
Strategies are proposed by our clients, our partners and ourselves and we assess several urban variations that affect the microclimate.
OUTDOOR COMFORT ANALYSIS
Beyond air temperatures, we calculate the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), an innovative and science-based index that takes into account all the component of climatic comfort and their interactions. It is a quantitative, qualitative and lucid way to assess outdoor comfort.
Beyond air temperatures, we calculate the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), an innovative and science-based index that takes into account all the component of climatic comfort and their interactions. It is a quantitative, qualitative and lucid way to assess outdoor comfort.
SOLAR FLUX ANALYSIS
We evaluate the solar radiations (direct, diffused and reflected) received by every part of the modelled urban area, for each hour, and provide insolation maps. Furthermore, upon client request, we study special days like solstices.
We evaluate the solar radiations (direct, diffused and reflected) received by every part of the modelled urban area, for each hour, and provide insolation maps. Furthermore, upon client request, we study special days like solstices.
WIND ANALYSIS
We simulate the wind flux in the studied urban area and take into account their impacts on outdoor comfort. We evaluate potentials for natural ventilation in new constructions and minimise potential strong wind speeds. We evaluate wind comfort and assess safety.
We simulate the wind flux in the studied urban area and take into account their impacts on outdoor comfort. We evaluate potentials for natural ventilation in new constructions and minimise potential strong wind speeds. We evaluate wind comfort and assess safety.
ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF BUILDINGS
During hot seasons, the electricity consumption for air conditioning is usually high. Building characteristics such as shapes, properties of used materials etc. and the characteristics of the above microclimate play a significant role in this. So we calculate their influences on the cooling needs of the buildings and propose energy efficient building designs.
During hot seasons, the electricity consumption for air conditioning is usually high. Building characteristics such as shapes, properties of used materials etc. and the characteristics of the above microclimate play a significant role in this. So we calculate their influences on the cooling needs of the buildings and propose energy efficient building designs.
RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION
We simulate solar radiations and the wind flows in the studied urban area for an entire year and then calculate the potential energy produced by :
- Photo voltaic panels in each roof of buildings;
- Vertical wind turbines, depending of their precise locations
We simulate solar radiations and the wind flows in the studied urban area for an entire year and then calculate the potential energy produced by :
- Photo voltaic panels in each roof of buildings;
- Vertical wind turbines, depending of their precise locations
CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT
The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) publishes predicted scenarios on the evolution of global temperature until the end of the 21th century. Applied on local weather data, these scenarios allow us to predict the climate change impacts on the studied urban area.
The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) publishes predicted scenarios on the evolution of global temperature until the end of the 21th century. Applied on local weather data, these scenarios allow us to predict the climate change impacts on the studied urban area.
SOLENE-microclimat
We simulate using a software suite called SOLENE-microclimat developed by CRENAU in Nantes, France. This is a urban microclimate simulation tool which relies on a coupling between thermo-radiative tool SOLENE, CFD software Code Saturne developed by French Electricity Company - EDF and a building thermal model . We cooperate with its developers on its improvement and and develop new engineering tools for it.
We simulate using a software suite called SOLENE-microclimat developed by CRENAU in Nantes, France. This is a urban microclimate simulation tool which relies on a coupling between thermo-radiative tool SOLENE, CFD software Code Saturne developed by French Electricity Company - EDF and a building thermal model . We cooperate with its developers on its improvement and and develop new engineering tools for it.
We work with actors of sustainable developments:
CITY OFFICIALS AND URBAN PLANNERS
Get optimum urban developments scenarios to decrease temperature in summer time and increase comfort in public spaces of new neighborhoods and renovated ones.ARCHITECTS AND URBAN DESIGNERS
Test the efficiency of your urban development projects, regarding outdoor comfort and electric consumption of buildings, and highlight their impacts.ENGINEERS AND MANUFACTURERS
Demonstrate the effect of your innovative material or installation, to mitigate the urban heat island, to your potentials clients.ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS
Effects of changes in the built environment on cooling demand.ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS
Subcontract urban microclimate studies and wind flux (CFD) studiesFEEDBACKS
“This kind of modelling will be very useful for the work we are doing in performance assessment on small urban areas.”
Nils Larsson, Executive Director, International Initiative
for a Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE)
for a Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE)
“Very efficient tool, could integrate our global numerical city modeling program.”
Boguslaw Witkowski, Founder of Town Planning Design
and Architecture- Witkowski (TPDA- Witkowski
and Architecture- Witkowski (TPDA- Witkowski
Contact
U Zvonařky 994/15, 120 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic
Clément Imbert
info@urban-comfort.eu
+33 6 30 84 58 78
Clément Imbert
info@urban-comfort.eu
+33 6 30 84 58 78