Azmeer et al. (2026) Heat Mitigation by Green Infrastructure: Insights from a University Campus in an Arid Environment

Identification

• Journal: Lecture notes in civil engineering
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-01
• Authors: Amjad Azmeer, Furqan Tahir, Sami G. Al-Ghamdi
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-06810-1_111

Research Groups

• Environmental Science and Engineering Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
• KAUST Climate and Livability Initiative, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

Short Summary

This study quantifies the microscale cooling effects of green and blue infrastructure on a university campus in an arid environment using a CFD model, revealing that green infrastructure can reduce air temperature by 0.88 °C and blue infrastructure by 1.47 °C during a heatwave.

Objective

• To examine how the shape and configuration of green space on a university campus in an arid environment impact localized cooling and the consequent energy reduction in the surrounding built environment during a heatwave.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Microscale, focusing on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) campus area.
• Temporal Scale: During a heatwave, specifically quantifying effects at 14:00 during summertime.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: ENVI-met V7, a high-resolution landscape computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model.
• Data sources: Microscale climate simulations.

Main Results

• Green infrastructure (GI) can reduce the surrounding air temperature during summertime at 14:00 by approximately 0.88 °C.
• Blue infrastructure (BI) demonstrates a greater cooling effect, reducing air temperature by approximately 1.47 °C.
• The cooling capacity of GI is context-specific, significantly influenced by ground topography, plant species, configuration, and materials of the surrounding built environment.

Contributions

• Provides quantitative insights into the microscale cooling effects of green and blue infrastructure in an arid urban setting.
• Offers a basis for optimizing landscape interventions (GI, BI, cool materials) to maximize cooling benefits.
• Contributes to the development of integrated, site-specific strategies for enhancing climate resilience in arid urban environments.

Funding

• Not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Azmeer2026Heat,
  author = {Azmeer, Amjad and Tahir, Furqan and Al-Ghamdi, Sami G.},
  title = {Heat Mitigation by Green Infrastructure: Insights from a University Campus in an Arid Environment},
  journal = {Lecture notes in civil engineering},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/978-3-032-06810-1_111},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-06810-1_111}
}