Evaluating the effectiveness of various green configurations in housing projects: a case study in Ajman, UAE

In the hot arid climate of the united Arab Emirates (UAE), housing projects face significant challenges in maintaining comfortable indoor environments, minimizing energy consumption, and improving outdoor thermal conditions. One effective and sustainable solution that has gained attention is the implementation of various greenery configurations, including green façades, green roofs, green walls, green hedges, and green shading structures. This study aims to evaluate the advantages of these greenery interventions in enhancing outdoor thermal comfort in housing projects within the uae’s challenging climate. Utilizing ENVI-met software for high-resolution simulations, this research investigates the impact of different greenery configurations on key thermal parameters such as air temperature, mean radiant temperature (MRT), wind speed, humidity, and physiological equivalent temperature (PET). The findings reveal that green roofs are the most effective in reducing peak air temperatures by up to 2.3 °C, Lowering MRT by up to 15.2 °C, and decreasing PET by up to 6.43 °C. Green walls also showed some improvements, particularly in reducing peak MRT by 10 °C. Green shading structure and hedges provided moderate benefits, with less substantial reductions in thermal stress. These results highlight the critical role of greenery configurations—such as green façades, green roofs, green walls, hedges, and green shading structures—in mitigating heat stress and enhancing outdoor thermal comfort.