A STUDY ON THE COOLING EFFECTS OF GREENING FOR IMPROVING THE OUTDOOR THERMAL ENVIRONMENT IN PENANG, MALAYSIA

Abstract

Shade tree coverage and reflective pavements are useful mitigation strategies to help cool the
air and provide shade. It also helps to lower building energy consumption by providing better outdoor
boundary conditions. This study presents a simulation approach to evaluate and determine the cooling effect
of greening modification developments of a study area on the surrounding environment. This study presents
two approaches, including an on-site measurement and a numerical simulation model that uses ENVI-met V
4.0 BETA. Five scenarios with different types of tree coverage and density canopy by adding reflective
pavements at ground surface are used. This study was conducted at the RST Complex of Universiti Sains
Malaysia. The simulation results showed significantly lower air temperatures in three greening scenarios
compared to the current condition scenario with 10% tree coverage. Increasing 20% of tree coverage with
less dense and high dense of canopy in the study area led to a maximum air temperature reduction of up to
0.97 °C and 1.15 °C, respectively. Meanwhile, increasing 20% tree coverage with a highly dense canopy and
applying reflective pavements on the ground surface contributed to a maximum air temperature reduction of
up to 1.16 °C. The outcome of this study could be used to help urban planners and designers to select
strategies for designing outdoor spaces to relieve heat stress with the main aim of improving the outdoor
living environment.