A Hypothetical ‘Shadow Umbrella’ for Thermal Comfort Enhancement in the Equatorial Urban Outdoors

Abstract

This paper develops a hypothetical urban mass model for thermal comfort in the equatorial tropical outdoors, in response to the need for high density living in the tropics and the increasing problem of urban heat-island. The shadow mask (“shadow umbrella”) that can shade a greater portion of urban outdoors by its very configuration is created by a CAD software (MicroStation) and made more attuned to tropical living by the use of vegetation. The use of water in climate amelioration is also considered.