The conventional way of building accelerates heat island effect of cities and therefore decreases the quality of outdoor spaces, especially in warm and humid climates. In times of global warming, outdoor comfort is becoming an important factor for liveability and well-being of human habitats.

While active systems only have a limited range and are not suitable for outdoor areas, good passive design can make a big difference if an outdoor space feels comfortable or not. It determines how much and how often it is used. In many ways, outdoor comfort complements high-performance buildings.

The webinar explained the principles of outdoor thermal comfort and how to evaluate it. It also illustrated strategies and examples of how to design for comfortable outdoor spaces, especially in warm and hotter climates.