Analyzing the ENVI-met microclimate model's performance and assessing cool materials and urban vegetation applications-A review

Increased urban air temperatures due to urbanization affect the buildings' energy performance and the outdoor thermal comfort. Aiming on the establishment of adaption strategies, urban microclimate studies using numerical simulation tools are gaining great scientific attention. The ENVI-met model is one of the most widely employed dynamic simulation tools. Considering its increasing use, this review aims to perform a meta-analysis of the reported evaluation results, reflecting the capability of the model to accurately calculate the diurnal profile of microclimatic variables. The analysis relies on the definition of the range of the reported metrics and on the investigation of the relationship between the various indices, applied for the model evaluation. Secondly, the study assesses the existing ENVI-met simulation results, indicating the cooling potential of urban greenery and cool materials regarding air, surface and mean radiant temperature modifications. The analysis revealed that the model can be considered as a helpful tool for urban climate analysis, provided that its limitations and features are accounted for by the user during the interpretation of the simulation outcome. Concerning the performance of the examined mitigation strategies, the most popular technology is the urban greenery while the mitigation potential is increased when different strategies are combined.