Abstract:
The thermal environment outside has an impact on human comfort, health, and physical
performance, particularly in cities with hot and dry climates, such as Arba Minch,
Ethiopia, which is situated in the tropical belt. According to the outdoor thermal comfort
assessment result, there is a clear difference in a human thermal comfort sensation value
in sunny versus shaded areas due to the primary contribution of solar radiation. To
maintain outdoor thermal comfort on a nearby street Shadow envelope design for daytime
is recommended as it reduces solar radiation and contributes to a more pleasant urban
environment for pedestrians. The prevailing climate conditions and solar sun path have
been considered and analyzed to construct and shape the shading envelope appropriately.
By taking typical plot size along the eight-cardinal orientation of streets, the envelope was
constructed using Rhinoceros, a graphical programming interface Grasshopper, and an
open-source weather analysis tool Ladybug. The research concludes that shading
envelope-based urban design is recommended and establishing heights must be included
in the Conventional zoning in cities that have a hot-humid climate like Arba Minch as it is
a main contributing factor to the health of city pedestrians. E-W and N-S streets are
exposed to the sun at critical 12:00 am and 1:00 pm local times all year, which is highly
exposed to solar radiation. To shade those streets, recommended to plant deciduous trees
on the street sidewalk. Finally, as many studies shows that although computer models are
powerful, physical models are still better Therefore, a Solar Geometry Demonstration
Heliodon use to validate the final design.
