Abstract Sun sails are a traditional street-scale shading strategy in Mediterranean cities to improve outdoor comfort. So far, their benefits for indoor comfort remain almost unexplored. To addresses this gap, we carry out thermal simulations using Finite Element Methods (FEM), a still novel approach in urban thermal studies that allows for highly detailed radiative computations at the building and street scales. We assess the potential of street sun sails to limit building cooling demands in a Mediterranean-climate city for twelve urban scenarios differing in orientation, facade reflectance, and sun sail color. Simulations show that the use of street sun sails allows for significant decreases in the air and surface temperature inside buildings, and consequently, in cooling demands (between 12% and 46%). Based on simulation results, we provide design guidelines for the installation of sun sails to maximize their effectiveness. This work illustrates how the rich visual feedback of FEM simulations can aid the decision-making process for urban design.

中文翻译：

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街道太阳帆的好处是限制地中海城市的建筑物冷却需求

摘要 太阳帆是地中海城市传统的街道尺度遮阳策略，以提高户外舒适度。到目前为止，它们对室内舒适度的好处几乎尚未开发。为了解决这一差距，我们使用有限元方法 (FEM) 进行热模拟，这是一种在城市热研究中仍然新颖的方法，可以在建筑物和街道尺度上进行高度详细的辐射计算。我们评估了街道太阳帆在地中海气候城市中限制建筑物冷却需求的潜力，适用于十二个不同方向、立面反射率和太阳帆颜色的城市场景。模拟表明，使用街道太阳帆可以显着降低建筑物内的空气和表面温度，从而降低冷却需求（12% 到 46%）。根据仿真结果，我们提供安装太阳帆的设计指南，以最大限度地提高其效率。这项工作说明了 FEM 模拟的丰富视觉反馈如何帮助城市设计的决策过程。