Project Details

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Urban Heat Relief Through Green Design: Towards Climate-Resilient Cities in Tanzania

Company: PSU Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation 3

Major(s):
Primary: EGEE
Secondary: ME
Optional: IE

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Overview This project focuses on the design of courtyard prototypes for multifamily housing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with the objective of improving outdoor thermal comfort in humid climates. Extreme heat, intensified by climate change and the urban heat island effect, poses significant health and infrastructure risks in cities where most households lack access to HVAC systems. Courtyards, as a passive architectural design strategy, offer potential solutions by enhancing shading, ventilation, and microclimatic regulation. By exploring different courtyard configurations and their shading performance, the project seeks to validate design concepts that can mitigate heat stress while fostering sustainable and culturally resilient housing solutions. This project is sponsored by the Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation. Deliverables The project will produce courtyard prototypes tailored for a multifamily housing project in Magomeni ward, Dar es Salaam. Using ENVI-met software, students will analyze existing site conditions, simulate alternative courtyard layouts, and assess thermal comfort through selected indices. Deliverables will include comparative models of courtyard configurations, evaluation of shading potential, and integration of urban heat island mitigation strategies such as vegetation, green walls, and green roofs. Students will have the opportunity to validate the ENVI-met models experimentally at Penn State by using the campus buildings equipped with green roof systems. The final output will be a set of design recommendations and validated prototypes demonstrating improved outdoor thermal comfort, providing scalable solutions for housing developments in tropical urban environments.