Future Research 02 An Integrated Approach to Optimizing Building/Tree Shade Simultaneously

Concerning the provision of shade by trees and buildings, there are six distinct relationships that merit attention: 1) tree shade on the ground;

2) building shade on the ground; 3) building shade on the building

4) building shade on the tree; 5) tree shade on the tree; and 6) tree shade on the building. It is noteworthy that previous research has predominantly focused on one or two of these relationships. Therefore, a holistic approach that can negotiate trade-offs between all six relationships need to be developed to optimize the tree/building shade performance. This objective can be achieved through the utilization of computational tools built upon open-source software applications.

Top: A proposed configuration of tree and building from student’s work; Source: Hazel O’Neil

Bottom: A simulation shows how tree shade impacts on the surrounding buildings; Source: Zhao, Q., Wentz, E. A., & Murray, A. T. (2017). Tree shade coverage optimization in an urban residential environment. Building and Environment, 115, 269-280