Simulation tools to assess microclimate and building energy – A case study on the design of a new district

• Different microclimate simulation tools are investigated for district design.
• The case study energy demand depends on shortwave and longwave radiative exchanges.
• Two urban density alternatives are studied.
• Results bring out district morphology impact on solar radiation and wind fields.
• Energy demand and indoor temperature results depend on the urban landscaping.

Since some years, dense cities and compact buildings are promoted as sustainable and energy efficient designs. Nevertheless, urban planning strategies should take into account the interactions between buildings and the microclimate because the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon can increase the cooling load of buildings and is strongly influenced by urban morphology, urban landscaping and the thermal properties of buildings and soil. The modification of these parameters, such as building density, can mitigate UHI, with direct and indirect improvement of building energy performances. The case study presented in this paper concerns a new district in La Rochelle (France) named Atlantech. Currently at the design stage, the goal is to transform this old military camp into a zero carbon district. This study was performed in parallel with urban planning using EnviBatE and SOLENE-Microclimate simulation. Two building densities are compared through the impacts on solar irradiance, wind airflows, building indoor temperatures and energy demand. Analysis of reference and densified district highlights various impacts such as the wind velocity decrease, up to 80%, and the effect on an existing nearby building solar irradiation, reduced by 7%. These results underline the potential usefulness of these simulation tools for urban planners at the design stage.