Environmental Design Approaches for Maximising Outdoor Comfort Using Microclimate-Based Strategies in Hyderabad

Abstract

This study presents microclimate-responsive strategies to enhance outdoor comfort and community engagement at the Dr. Kallam Anji Reddy Memorial in Hyderabad, India, a composite climate site and public building case study. The methodology combined EPW climate data, climate trends, bioclimatic charts, and thermal comfort models (PMV, PET, ASHRAE/IMAC) to assess comfort and identify daily extremes. CFD, radiation, and shading analyses of iterative design proposals demonstrated that rammed earth vertical gardens and a butterfly-shaped ferrocement shade with integrated rainwater collection and cross-ventilation improved evaporative cooling, reduced solar radiation, and enhanced airflow, as confirmed by adjusted bioclimatic charts. Additional benefits included air pollution filtration, noise reduction, biodiversity gains, and support for community food growing. This study demonstrates how in-depth, site-specific hourly microclimate analyses, combined with iterative design investigations enable designers to identify truly optimized interventions that create outdoor spaces that are comfortable and usable all year-round.

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ORCID for Stephanie Gauthier: orcid.org/0000-0002-1720-1736

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