Thermal stress comfort in a contemporary housing district in a moderate climate zone, Lublin as a case study

Abstract

Urban climate and its impact on the thermal comfort of residents are significant aspects in urban planning and the design of housing estates. The aim of this article is to investigate the temperature perception among residents in a contemporary residential area in Lublin during the hottest day, utilising an advanced computer simulation tool – the ENVI-met programme. A modern, densely built housing estate with no significant greenery was selected as a case study. General meteorological and spatial data were used for calibrating the housing estate model within the software. The housing estate model within the programme was calibrated using publicly available meteorological and spatial data, and computer simulations were conducted for Lublin's hottest day on 22 July 2022. Based on these simulations, the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) was calculated. The research results indicate that people experience moderate thermal stress in unshaded areas only at 4:00 pm, while in sunny locations, they experience strong to very strong heat stress throughout the day. This article underscores the importance of computer simulations in analysing the urban microclimate and provides insights into tools that can be used in urban planning and housing estate design processes, with the aim of creating more comfortable and environmentally friendly urban environments.