Comfort Evaluation in an Urban Boulevard by Means of Evaporative Wind Towers

• Published in: Energy procedia 2012, Vol.30, p.1226-1232
• Main Authors: Castro, Silvia Soutullo, Guaita, Cristina Sanjuan, Egido, Maria Nuria Sánchez, Zarzalejo, Luis F., Miranda, Ricardo Enríquez, Celemín, Maria del Rosario Heras
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Comfort sensation; Evaporative cooling; Wind towers
• ISSN: 1876-6102; 1876-6102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2012.11.135

To increase the comfort level of urban public areas during the summer period, several passive strategies can be implemented. In areas characterized by hot and dry summers, the most common techniques are based in solar shading, natural ventilation and evaporative processes. The case study analized in this work is a cylindrical construction called “Air Tree” that was built in a boulevard in Madrid. It is composed by sixteen evaporative wind towers that combine the three passive strategies. The main objective is to evaluate the thermal influence of this construction in the perception of heat and cold. This value has been quantified by the outdoor TS comfort index at 1m high in the pedestrian area. To that effect, temperature, humidity and radiation values recorded during the summer of 2008 have been used. Air velocities in the interest area have been obtained indirectly by CFD simulations, previously validated with experimental data. The results from this study show that the application of these techniques enhances the social and environmental quality of urban spaces.