International Journal of

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Preparing thermal comfort conditions in outdoor public spaces is one of the considerations of architectural design. If the constructed area does not support comfortable conditions in outdoor spaces, it will cause microclimatic problems for pedestrians and adjacent buildings. Regarding the different thermal comfort conditions in outdoor spaces in comparison with indoor, several indices have been produced for outdoor thermal analysis during recent decades. The different methodology and approach to these indices have provided a diverse set of responses to thermal prediction of outdoor spaces. This diversity has made it difficult for architects to decide how to use these indices in outdoor design strategies. To provide a same basis to compare these results, this article will introduce each index with its definition, its basic calculation method, and its thermal condition categories. Following these information a psychometric chart that is provided by the author, shows its thermal categories as a graphic method. Using this psychometrics for thermal analysis will make it easy to compare different indices and their outdoor thermal predictions. Those architects, who are familiar with Building Bioclimatic Chart of Givoni for analyzing indoor thermal conditions, will find this method easy and practical for analyzing outdoor thermal condition by choosing an appropriate index.

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Using outdoor public spaces as a place of social interaction is in a great consideration these days. Providing tolerable thermal condition as long as possible is one of the primary stage for people’s presence in these places. Outdoor thermal indices are introduced to help architects making appropriate decisions in climate responsive design procedure. By doing some field study research in extreme climatic condition of tropical city of Kuala Lumpur, this article will introduce a research method of data collecting and data analyzing using outdoor thermal indices. How to do an effective and helpful research for design requirements is the aim of this method. Field data are collected by a Kestrel portable weather station in different outdoor spaces of the city centre. Weather data are analyzed in three levels of meso, local and microclimate. Architectural properties of the place are explained as the respective climatic design solution. Software named SIKRON is designed to speed up the analyzing process.

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Buildings have a significant share of global energy consumption and a major role in global warming. Buildings also affect the temperature of their surrounding environment. The present study investigates the effect of Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and urban block configurations on energy consumption, urban microclimate, and outdoor thermal comfort in Tehran with a hot climate, using the simulation method and Ladybug Tools (1.6.0). According to the results, decreasing FAR in an urban block improves urban microclimate while reducing building energy consumption. The results reveal that the effect of FAR on the buildings' energy consumption is more considerable. Decreasing FAR reduces the buildings’ energy consumption and outdoor air temperature. Furthermore, the scattered form of urban blocks consumes the highest cooling energy while having the lowest heating load. The lowest cooling and heating loads are found in the linear and scatter organizations. Considering the dominant cost of cooling energy, the case with less FAR would be the best choice from an economic point of view. For three-story urban blocks, the best case is the courtyard form, while for five and nine-story urban blocks, the best option would be the linear form.