Validation of envi-met software using measured and predicted air temperatures in the courtyard of Chinese shophouse Malacca

Abstract

In recent times sustainability design has received a rapid attention, courtyard as one often refers to a microclimate modifier, played an important role in the concept of sustainability. However, studies show that there are various ways to check the performance of courtyard, such ways include field measurement and simulations. This is to enhance the viability of the courtyard design. Chinese shophouse is one of practical examples of courtyard in this context. Generally, the inclusion of courtyard in a building fabric improve the microclimate, for the study of the Chinese shophouse reaches an acceptable level, a thorough validation of the software is crucial. This study intends to validate the envi-met software using the measured and predicted air temperature in a courtyard of Chinese shophouse in Malacca for further analysis. The measured and simulated air temperature of the courtyard of Chinese shophouse is analysed using the statistical method. Results indicate that the measured air temperature found to be in good agreement (d = 0.8) with the simulated air temperature. The performance of the simulator (envi-met software) is highly satisfactory. This method of validation can also extended to other simulation software that uses the outdoor environment.