Thermal Characterisation of Urban Fabrics Using GIS and Townscope Modelling Tool

Nowadays energy performance is an increasing concern to sustainable urban planning because of itsimplications in energy consumption patterns. Interactions between urban form and urban microclimatehas been broadly studied from large scale such as the city as a whole through heat island studies.However urban planning needs to be addressed at local scale as well.The purpose of the work is to study experimentally thermal conditions on outdoor spaces within theurban fabric at neighbourhood scale in Santiago city, Chile. Bioclimatic approach is used as theoreticalframework to define parameters to be applied in a case study. Four parameters are studied airtemperature, relative humidity, winds intensity and solar radiation. Database meteorological stations,physical measurements on site and modelling computer tools were used whether to analyse thermalconditions and to simulate energy performance on outdoor spaces in the urban fabric. Arc View as aGIS tools and Townscope as a 3D model have been applied to describe urban heat island and solarradiation analysis in 3D.Results are implications for sustainable urban planning in terms of finding a practical method to beapplied for private developers, community and public managers to know energy performance inoutdoor spaces. Significance proceedings for morphological regulations in building assembling to getmaximum environmental benefits from thermal conditions. As conclusion it can be stated that it ispossible to estimate quantitatively energy performance on outdoor spaces from bioclimatic approach.Sustainable urban planning can be underpinned by methodology presented in this work.