Developing a digital framework for community-scale building retrofit: a microclimate-informed approach for energy demand reductionTools Hamdan, Mohammad (2025) Developing a digital framework for community-scale building retrofit: a microclimate-informed approach for energy demand reduction. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
AbstractBuildings consume approximately 32% of global energy and contribute significantly to urban heat island effects, creating an urgent need for effective retrofit strategies. Current building energy simulation approaches often neglect the complex interactions between buildings and their urban microclimate context, leading to systematic underestimation of actual energy consumption. This research addresses critical gaps by developing a novel digital framework that integrates microclimate modelling with building energy simulation to enable accurate assessment of community-scale versus building-scale retrofit approaches. The methodology adopts a comprehensive quantitative approach, integrating ENVI-met microclimate simulation with DesignBuilder energy modelling through weather file modification. The critical innovation is an "equivalent performance framework" that calibrates both approaches to achieve identical 19.4% energy reduction targets, enabling direct comparison of implementation costs and carbon impacts. The framework demonstrates that buildings require contextual evaluation within their urban environment rather than treatment as isolated entities. Research was conducted in the Dahyat Al-Istiqlal neighbourhood, Amman, Jordan. Results demonstrate that community-scale retrofits achieve target energy reductions through integrated microclimate improvements, including temperature reductions, enhanced wind patterns, and humidity modifications. Building-scale retrofits achieve equivalent performance through envelope insulation and shading devices. Comparative analysis reveals consistent advantages for community-scale approaches across multiple metrics: 17.9% lower initial investment, 20.2% faster payback periods, and 21.4% better carbon abatement costs. This research establishes that scale-dependent efficiencies exist in urban retrofit economics, with community-scale approaches demonstrating superior performance across economic and environmental dimensions. The methodology addresses fundamental limitations in current practice by demonstrating the critical importance of urban context in building energy assessment. The findings provide compelling evidence for prioritising neighbourhood-scale interventions over conventional building-focused approaches, particularly in resource-constrained contexts where maximising impact per unit investment is critical.
Actions (Archive Staff Only)
|
Tools
Tools
![[thumbnail of Hamdan, Mohammad, 20388068,Final Submission.pdf]](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png "Hamdan, Mohammad, 20388068,Final Submission.pdf")
