Effect of water features on the microclimate of residential projects in a hot-arid climate

This paper investigated the effect of water features on thermal comfort in a central open space of a residential project in a hot-arid climate. A crowded urbanized area in Baghdad was chosen as a case study a city. The methodology relied on a simulation method using ENVI-met 4.4.5 software to create a model of a residential project and obtain the levels of the predicted mean vote as well as four parameters associated with it. These parameters included, air temperature, mean radiant temperature, horizontal wind speed, and relative humidity. For the purpose of comparative analysis, four types of surfaces were modelled, a surface with a water feature, a vegetated surface, a concrete surface, and a combination of green and blue surfaces. The simulation results showed that a water feature can significantly decrease the levels of the predicted mean vote (PMV) index. It was even more effective than a vegetated surface in increasing thermal comfort levels in the microclimate of a residential project in a hot-arid climate.