BRE and the BBSA joined together to organise a fascinating workshop being held at BRE in June 2018. The programme had expert speakers and was designed to examine the issues designers and consultants face relating to overheating buildings, light and glare control and occupant health and wellbeing.

1. Solar shading in future buildings
Presentation by Snigdha Jain
WSP, June 2018

2. The concerns
Climate change will
increase peak temperatures
We’re building more flats
Tighter building regulations
Older populations are more
susceptible to heat
A bad night’s sleep affects
health and productivity
Very hot temperatures can
kill
Overheating

3. The causes
Source of Heat
 External Temperature
 2003 heatwave: 64% of total
deaths occurred in southern
regions.
 This area of the UK might
see a temperature rise of
between 2.3°C and 2.7°C by
2050.
 Heatwaves are expected to
increase in both frequency
and intensity.
Average monthly temperatures (°C) in London over the century, under a medium emissions scenario, compared to baseline period
Urban Heat Island Profile

4. The causes
Source of Heat
 Solar Gain
 Solar gain almost as
important as external
temperature. Shading, the
time of day, season and type
of glazing have an impact
on this.
 Internal Heat Gain
 Internal heat comes from
electrical appliances, such
as laptops, televisions,
showers, chargers etc.
 In flats, energy lost from
communal heating systems
also contributes to internal
temperature, exacerbated
in some cases by poorly
insulated pipework.

5. Overheating
The next steps
 Robust regulatory method
 Cooling hierarchy
 Retrofitting solutions
 Urban Heat Island
 All Electric City

6. Policy &
Guidance
Published Documents
 March 2016: GLA
Overheating Checklist
 May 2017: CIBSE TM59-
Standardised and robust
assessment methodology
 May 2018: London
Environment Strategy
Upcoming
 Winter 2019/2020: New
London Plan

7. It’s too
Noisy!
National Noise Incidence
Survey (2000)
 54% of the UK Population
exposed to daytime noise
above WHO guidelines for
community annoyance (55
dB LAeq,16hr)
 67% of the UK Population
exposed to night-time noise
above the guidelines that
allow people to sleep with
windows open (45 dB
LAeq,8hr)

8. 8
City
Analytics
Example #1
Heat Risk Mapping
This map shows the results
of an ‘UrbClim’ simulation
Mean temperature at
midnight during the
summer of 2011.
On average, the night-time
temperature is
approximately 4°C higher in
the city centre.
During some hot nights,
even larger effects are
observed.
Source: London Datastore,
https://data.london.gov.uk/data
set/london-s-urban-heat-
island---average-summer
Urban Heat
Island
London’s Urban Heat Island: Average Summer

9. WSP:
Holistic
Mapping
Mapping of environmental
variables (Urban Heat Island,
Air Quality and Noise
Exposure)
Assigning each variable a
sensitivity/score
Layering the city’s future
spatial growth
Consideration of future
trends
Urban Risk Appraisal

10. Mitigation
Constructed Shade
Permanent shade: suitable
for use in parking lots and
between buildings
Demountable shade: best
suited to cover playgrounds,
basketball courts, patios,
and to provide sidewalk
cover on public streets
Shade sails: best suited for
providing shade in areas
such as large courtyards,
play grounds, street festivals
and park spaces

11. Mitigation
Trees and Vegetation
Not all tree species have the
same cooling effect; the
lower the foliage
temperature the greater the
cooling, and canopy size,
structure and density also
influence the extent of
shading.
Trees with larger canopies
tend to cast more shade
and deliver greater
rainwater management and
biodiversity benefits than
smaller ornamental species.

12. Key Points • It is about a balance!
• Buildings: Daylight,
Energy and Overheating
• What are the future
trends?
• Multi-disciplinary and
holistic approach
• Mitigation: One solution
should not exacerbate the
problems of another.

13. Contact
Snigdha Jain
Sustainable Places, Energy and Waste
Email: snigdha.jain@wsp.com
Tel: +44(0) 20 3116 6163
Mob: +44(0) 79 8068 4597
Thank you. Questions?