Microclimate study @ HCI

Ryan Ng, Chen Ming, Yi Hao, Zheng Hao

a group 1 production

overviewOver the period of 2 fieldwork sessions(about 30 minutes), our group successfully compiled data of various temperatures at different parts of the school. We had carefully plotted out our path, ensuring that the objective could be completed within the short time limit of 15 minutes per session.

our hypothesis: areas with concrete surfaces are hotter than areas with non-concrete surfaces.

area 1:mscpThe top deck of the multi-storey carpark is very exposed to sunlight since there is no form of shade or shelter. There are many cars parked on the deck and it is rather open. The surface is largely made of concrete

area 2:GardenThis garden has a wide variety of plants, proudly displaying their lush greenery. The area is considerably dense and there are buildings nearby. However, the buildings do not provide shade in the garden. There are a few tall trees in the vicinity that provide little shade. The area also has a path of concrete.

area 3:Open spaceThis area has much shade, the area has tall trees with their arms spread , effectively creating cover. The area also features the towering view of block C, which provides much shade from the Sun. The area is covered with concrete tiles.

area 4: TerracesThe top of the terraces is situated at a high area, with an unobstructed view of the trees near the canal. The top has much shade with the large raintrees providing much of the shade. The terraces are made of concrete, most of the terraces is exposed to the sun except for the top few steps. There is much wind in the area.

area 5: fieldThe field is a very open, large plot of land, covered completely with grass. The grass is cooler than the concrete surfaces around the school as grass have the ability to transpire the heat out of them. The area receives much sunlight and wind is easily present with no obstruction.

area 6: trackThe track is has a rubbery texture, running a whole round around the field, making it 400 metres long. It is open, with the foot of the terraces right next to it.

area 7: fountainThe fountain area features a man made water body, a pool and a river, that has mechanical features such as a fountain. The area is surrounded by buildings, with the High School office nearby. There are also a few shrubs and bushes nearby. The area is largely covered by granite and concrete tiles. The area also has direct sunlight.

day 1: 1.04pm to 1.20 pmSites Temperature at 15cm above

groundTemperature at 1.5m above ground

MSCP 32.3°C 31.8°C

Garden 32.6°C 32.8°C

Open Space 32.7°C 31.6°C

Terraces 31.1°C 30.2°C

Field 31.0°C 31.2°C

Track 33.5°C 31.0°C

Fountain 32.8°C 31.8°C

day 2: 11am to 11.30 pmSites Temperature at 15cm above

groundTemperature at 1.5m above ground

MSCP 28.7°C 27.1°C

Garden 29.3°C 28.3°C

Open space 28.6°C 28.6°C

Terraces 27.8°C 28.0°C

Field 29.3°C 28.3°C

Track 30.0°C 28.6°C

Fountain 28.4°C 28.6°C

concrete vs non-concreteConcrete areas:

(a) MSCP

(b) Fountain

(c) Terraces

Non-concrete areas:

(a) Garden

(b) Field

(c) Track

rankingsThis is the ranking of the areas from hottest to coolest based on the “1.5m above ground” data. They are ranked by points, with the 1st in the each list for both days 7 points and the seventh 1 point. Some may have the same rankings due to equal points:

(a) Garden/Fountain

(b) Open space

(c) MSCP/Field/Track

(d) Terraces

So, the garden and the fountain area were the hottest areas

Possible reasons: Garden

(a) Denser surrounding

(b) Higher humidity

(c) Under direct sunlight.

Possible reasons: Fountain

(a) Under direct sunlight

differences In temperature between 15cm and 1.5m readings

Based on our results, we decided that the temperature taken at a higher ground(1.5m) is slightly lower than that at a lower level(15cm).

factors The factors affecting temperature at the various areas are:

(a) presence of shade

(b) exposure to sunlight

(c) presence of wind

(d) presence of vegetation

counter hypothesisBased on the overall data we collected from both sessions of fieldwork, the top few hottest places were not necessarily concrete surfaced. Even the coolest place is concrete surfaced.

The temperature was actually affected by other factors we did and did not consider. There was also a lack of data as we only checked temperature and did not check our other surrounding factors.

result: our hypothesis was rejected.

overall experienceThrough this opportunity to perform fieldwork, we managed to understand how the temperature of an area can be affected by multiple factors that we have also learnt of. Temperature is also usually lower at a higher altitude.

credits(a) Mr Lau (Credits for resources and equipment for fieldwork)

(b) Our team for collating the data

(c) Ryan’s phone space for photographs taken

(d) Google Documents

(e) Theme from Microsoft Powerpoint(Mac Edition)