Tutor Francesco De Luca PhD
Tel Aviv (online) 3 June 2025
Organized by: Ariel University - Architectural Artificial Intelligence Lab, Green Group, Israel Green Building Council, Oded Landau
The workshop will present state-of-the-art computational workflows to integrate environmental and climatic factors in the early stages of the urban design process to improve sustainability of the built environment. Through hands-on exercises, the attendants will learn methods and metrics to analyze solar accessibility of the building envelope and urban microclimate to generate building and urban forms with reduced energy requirement, and enhanced occupant wellbeing and livability of outdoor spaces.
Workshop program
Module 1: Climate data and solar availability analysis for urban sustainability
(10:00-11:30 and 11:45-13:15)
Content: The first module of the workshop will present tools and methods to analyze weather data of a location for an initial assessment of passive design strategies for urban environmental performance. Then the attendants will learn how to perform solar irradiance simulation, sky exposure and sunlight hour calculation, to consequently compute solar availability and shading metrics. Finally, the metrics will be put into practice to analyze different urban forms to balance solar availability in winter and shading in summer of select building façade and outdoor areas.
Presentation: Performance-driven design through climate analysis #
Practical exercises
• Site analysis, weather data analysis, weather data maps
• Solar irradiance on urban surfaces, building façade solar access
• Urban form design for winter solar availability and summer shading
Module 2: Outdoor thermal comfort analysis for livability of urban areas
(13:45-15:15 and 15:30-17:00)
Content: The second module of the workshop will first present outdoor thermal comfort metrics focusing then on those for the outdoor environment. Consequently, will show the procedure for selecting the relevant climatic factors and how to identify critical periods of the year to investigate. Then the attendants will learn the process to account for the climatic and microclimatic factors and to assess outdoor thermal comfort through the Universal Thermal Climate Index metric. The module concludes analyzing urban layout and the use of shading trees to reduce heat stress during summer.
Presentation: Urban microclimate and human thermal comfort
Practical exercises
• Outdoor thermal comfort metrics in the parametric design environment
• Climatic factors and analysis period selection
• Reducing urban heat stress through canopies and vegetation shading
Software to install before the workshop
The workshop will be conducted using the 3D modeling software Rhinoceros and its parametric design module Grasshopper, and the environmental design tool Ladybug Tools that is an add-on of Grasshopper. The software Rhinoceros-Grasshopper can be downloaded and used for 90 days in evaluation mode. Ladybug tools is free to use for everyone.
Rhinoceros homepage https://www.rhino3d.com/ with link to download page. Install version 8.
Ladybug Tools homepage https://www.ladybug.tools/ with link to download from the website food4Rhino. It requires registration. Install version 1.8.0. Installation instructions are included in the program files. When following the installation instructions at the webpage https://github.com/ladybug-tools/lbt-grasshopper/wiki of the installations described in the “Optional Steps” only step 1. Install Radiance is required, the other steps are not required (update).
Material for self-learning before the workshop
Before the workshop it is advantageous for the attendants to get a basic knowledge of the software used in the course, above all the parametric design environment of Rhinoceros-Grasshopper. At the following links it is possible to access tutorials and manuals.
Rhinoceros and Grasshopper tutorials https://www.rhino3d.com/learn/
Grasshopper manual http://grasshopperprimer.com/en/index.html
Many video tutorials for Grasshopper beginner level are available in YouTube.
Ladybug Tools Resources videos (select Ladybug Legacy) https://www.ladybug.tools/resource.html
Ladybug Tools Weather Data Visualization YouTube tutorials https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtSMbRCHXHVFsETgWO0Jy08GRcHwhL0RA
Workshop files
Download the workshop files from this LINK
In the .zip file there are:
- Rhinoceros file EPdUD-work.3dm to use during module 1 and 2 of the workshop.
- Grasshopper file EPdUD-M1-work.gh to use during module 1 of the workshop.
- Grasshopper file EPdUD-M1-work-update.gh to use during module 1 of the workshop LINK.
- Grasshopper file EPdUD-M2-work.gh to use during module 2 of the workshop.
- Weather data file ISR_TA_Tel.Aviv-Bet.Dagan.401790_TMYx.2009-2023.epw to use during the workshop (module 1 and 2).
- Weather data file ISR_TA_Tel.Aviv-Bet.Dagan.401790_TMYx.2009-2023.stat to use during the workshop (module 2).
- Folder "complete files" that contains the complete files used during the workshop for future reference.
Useful links
- Repository of Building Simulation Climate Data https://climate.onebuilding.org/
- Tel Aviv block location https://maps.app.goo.gl/b8acBG1YE8vQAfmD8
- Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) webpage https://utci.org/