Investigation of the thermal environment in schoolyards under Mediterranean conditions. Contribution to bioclimatic conditions improvement with the application of mild interventions – The case study of a school within the urban environment

Abstract This study aimed to examine the thermal environment in schoolyards under Mediterranean conditions, and impact of two interventions on amelioration bioclimatic conditions. The investigation was performed for three schools Athens, Greece, through microclimatic simulations by ENVI-met, a typical day June, evaluated based air surface temperature values. index Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) applied evaluate comfort By that, school most adverse conditions selected application interventions, which increased greenery 25% (Proposal 1) 50% 2). coating material “safety floor slabs”, replace others both proposals. Through simulations, following results were obtained: “Proposal 1” caused 2.3°C reduction temperature, 4% PET ‘Proposal 2’ an 8.1°C 11% cooling effect double compared 1’, achieving maximum up 0.8°C. produced limited areas affected tree shade, leaving unshaded almost unaffected.