Examining the effect of heat mitigating strategies on outdoor air temperatures in an educational facility under the hot humid climate of Oman

The globally increasing pollution levels in cities are responsible for the climate change and urban heat island (UHI) phenomena. These phenomena cause increments in surface and air temperatures within cities which, in turn, create thermal stresses that affect inhabitants’ health and well-being and make outdoor spaces in hot and warm regions unfit for use, especially during the summer season. However, design interventions are promising in alleviating heat stresses in outdoor spaces. Considering university campuses, outdoor spaces are crucial for students as they meet, socialize, relax, and study in these spaces. The outdoor spaces contribute to relieving students’ stress, that accumulated from prolonged sitting periods inside enclosed classrooms and supporting their academic and personal growth. This brings about the importance of designing comfortable outdoor spaces within the university campus.

Several studies have investigated the impact of different strategies on outdoor thermal comfort. For instance, a study by Abdallah (2020) assessed the impact of several shading strategies on student thermal comfort in a university campus located in Assiut City, Egypt. The performed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations indicated that providing shade and increasing tree density achieved the maximum reduction in temperatures. In Beirut, Lebanon, simulation analysis evaluated the effect of several scenarios on mitigating UHI. Amongst the proposed scenarios adding fountains and water sprays was the optimum strategy to reduce air temperature and alleviate the effects of UHI. Additionally, increasing the urban vegetation by 7% resulted in reducing the air temperature by 2°C during the daytime (Fahed et al., 2020).

Mainly due to the harsh hot summers and relatively warm winters, outdoor spaces are noticeably underutilized in Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) campus in Oman. Hence, this study analyses the effectiveness of integrating vegetation and water features in improving the thermal conditions of selected outdoor spaces on the campus using CFD simulations supported by field measurements. The preliminary results revealed that adding vegetation and combining vegetation and water fountains could lead to an average reduction of 3°C to 4°C. The findings are useful in devising a guidance framework for designing thermally comfortable outdoor spaces.