Microclimate simulations by Freefem++ for efficient Architecture design

Abstract

The interaction between the buildings and the atmospheric phenomena produce microclimates in its nearby environment, characterized by air characteristics that differ from the outside average. These characteristics depend, among other factors, on its architecture. A certain building design can modify greatly the temperature in these spaces in a natural way. This is the case of courtyards, where there have been monitored air temperatures one quite lower the exterior ones during the summer in hot and temperate climates like the Mediterranean one [1]. To understand and to quantify this effect allows a building design to take advantage of it in an effective way improving the building’s energy efficiency. But the physical complexity of the phenomenon and its strong interaction with formal design, has prevented its controlled use in architecture till now. The present study confronts the problem by means of a proper collaboration among mathematicians, engineers and architects. In this sense this makes more accessible the big potentiality of the free code FreeFem++ mathematical tool to develop the numerical simulations of these microclimates proposing its simple integration with the proper architecture and engineering software. Therefore, to confront the problem, the use and the integration of these programs: AutoCADR , SketchUp R , FreeFem++ and ParaView will be proposed.