Project title: Understanding Infrared radiative performance of urban trees for better future city
Project acronym: InfruTreeCity
Project duration: 1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2021
Project sponsors: EPSRC/NERC
Project objectives:
The project aims to significantly improve the understanding of urban tree – built environment interactions, focusing on infrared radiative energy exchange, and in the context of prevention of summer overheating in cities now and in the future.
Infrared radiation accounts for over 50% of solar energy reaching our cities, thus the new insights will be fundamental for understanding tree and urban thermal processes.
Specific objectives include:
– quantify radiative and other cooling mechanisms of selected common urban trees based on a multidisciplinary approach that integrates building and climate physics with plant physiology, addressing radiative energy exchange, tree physiological processes, urban built forms, as well as the influences of tree forms and species;
– provide guidance to building and urban designers and planners for effective integration of trees in cities, including tree species selection and appropriate urban form / materials;
– online information for intuitive and rapid access to research results.
Journal publications:
Project contacts:
Principal Investigator:
Professor Li Shao l.shao@reading.ac.uk
Co-investigators:
Dr Stefan Thor Smith s.t.smith@reading.ac.uk,
Dr Brian Pickles b.j.pickles@reading.ac.uk
PDRAs:
Dr Christos Halios c.halios@reading.ac.uk
Dr Jie Deng j.deng@reading.ac.uk