Quantifying Thermal Discomfort in Built Environment for Major Cities in Saudi Arabia
Safi Ullah, Furqan Tahir, Sami G. Al‐Ghamdi
Abstract
Abstract Human-induced climate change has intensified the thermal discomfort people experience in urban living. Despite the substantial risks this poses to public health, there is a notable gap in comprehensive research assessing the spatial and temporal shifts in human thermal discomfort and its specific characteristics in hot-hyper arid regions, one such example is Saudi Arabia. During heat waves, daily temperatures may surpass 50°C in the country, presenting a substantial risk to the health and well-being of residents. It is estimated that the building energy requirement is more than 50% of the total power consumption. Hence, it is critical to quantify thermal discomfort in terms of both thermal stress and intensity. Therefore, this work focused on analyzing thermal discomfort using the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) for efficient building design. Five major cities including Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Makkah, and Riyadh, were selected and examined from 1980–2022. The prominent urban hubs have encountered notable rises in UTCI, registering an increase ranging from 0.30 to 0.54 °C, marked by heightened frequency and intensity during the study period. The study’s findings can inform building design, enhance human comfort conditions, and shape future building codes and policies.