A new building energy model coupled with an urban canopy parameterization for urban climate simulations-part I. formulation, verification, and sensitivity analysis of the model

Francisco Salamanca, Andrea Krpo, Alberto Martilli, Alain Clappier

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

315 Scopus citations

Abstract

The generation of heat in buildings, and the way this heat is exchanged with the exterior, plays an important role in urban climate. To analyze the impact on urban climate of a change in the urban structure, it is necessary to build and use a model capable of accounting for all the urban heat fluxes. In this contribution, a new building energy model (BEM) is developed and implemented in an urban canopy parameterization (UCP) for mesoscale models. The new model accounts for: the diffusion of heat through walls, roofs, and floors; natural ventilation; the radiation exchanged between indoor surfaces; the generation of heat due to occupants and equipments; and the consumption of energy due to air conditioning systems. The behavior of BEM is compared to other models used in the thermal analysis of buildings (CBS-MASS, BLAST, and TARP) and with another box-building model. Eventually, a sensitivity analysis of different parameters, as well as a study of the impact of BEM on the UCP is carried out. The validations indicate that BEM provides good estimates of the physical behavior of buildings and it is a step towards a modeling tool that can be an important support to urban planners.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)331-344
Number of pages14
JournalTheoretical and Applied Climatology
Volume99
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2010
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atmospheric Science

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