Microclimate study of hci

1. Microclimate study of hci Group 8: Jonathan tan Jackie zeng Winston lim Lim zhexun Leonard yam

2. overview • Over a course of 2 fieldwork sessions, we managed to compile different sets of data taken from different parts of school • We plotted our course carefully to ensure that we covered as many areas in the shortest time possible • Our hypothesis is that areas with concrete surfaces have higher temperatures than those without

3. First stop: open space between canteen and block c • We observed that the general area was relatively well-covered, with large trees and tall buildings to provide a lot of shade • We also noticed that the floor was covered with concrete tiles, although it had relatively low temperatures compared to other areas

4. Second stop: garden • We observed that the garden area has a lot of lush plants, and is located in the centre of a tight cluster of buildings, which fail to provide any shade whatsoever, so the temperature is subject to the weather • There was a concrete path, but it does not affect the temperature much because it has a relatively small area compared to the garden itself

5. Third stop: multi-storey carpark • The top level of the carpark is exposed to the elements as there is no shade whatsoever • The temperature is also affected by residual heat from the engines of cars, and the surface of the top level is mainly concrete

6. Fourth stop: terraces • We observed that the terraces are largely exposed to the elements, although the top level is covered slightly by some trees • The terraces are largely made of concrete, but it can get quite breezy during the day, which will affect temperature readings

7. Fifth stop: field • The field is a large, open grassy area exposed to all the elements, and is significantly cooler than other areas, due to the transpiration of water vapour by the grass

8. Sixth stop: track • The track, like the field is exposed, but temperatures are not as cool as the field, due to the fact that the track is made of polyurethane, which absorbs slightly less heat, and also the fact that there were a lot of college students were running on the track during the first session of fieldwork, which can affect temperatures as kinetic energy from their feet is converted into thermal energy

9. Final stop: fountain • We observed that the area surrounding the fountain was mainly concrete, and the fountain itself was filled with water, therefore it is the coolest • The area is surrounded by tall buildings, providing moderate shade

10. Temperatures for the first day8.30am-8.45am

11. Temperatures for the second day12.45pm-1pm

12. Ranking of temperatures

13. Two hottest areas • The fountain and the track were the hottest • Possible reasons are: the fountain is under direct sunlight, and it is surrounded by buildings painted white, which reflect heat towards the fountain • The track is under direct sunlight, and it is made of a rubber-like material, which traps heat

14. difference in readings • Based on our results, the temperature taken at 1.5m was generally slightly lower than that at 15cm

15. Reasons for different readings at different areas • We decided that there were several reasons for the differences: • Amount of shade provided by surroundings • Cloud cover • Exposure to sunlight • Material • Presence of vegetation • Amount of wind

16. Conclusion • We decided to reject the hypothesis due to the results of our fieldwork • Our readings showed that the hottest areas were not necessarily made of concrete. On the contrary, some of the concrete surfaced areas were cooler than other places