GROUP 8: JONATHAN TAN JACKIE ZENG WINSTON LIM LIM ZHEXUN LEONARD YAM MICROCLIMATE STUDY OF HCI OVERVIEW Over a course of 2 fieldwork sessions, we managed to compile different sets of data taken from different parts of school We plotted our course carefully to ensure that we covered as many areas in the shortest time possible Our hypothesis is that areas with concrete surfaces have higher temperatures than those without FIRST STOP: OPEN SPACE BETWEEN CANTEEN AND BLOCK C We observed that the general area was relatively well-covered, with large trees and tall buildings to provide a lot of shade We also noticed that the floor was covered with concrete tiles, although it had relatively low temperatures compared to other areas SECOND STOP: GARDEN We observed that the garden area has a lot of lush plants, and is located in the centre of a tight cluster of buildings, which fail to provide any shade whatsoever, so the temperature is subject to the weather There was a concrete path, but it does not affect the temperature much because it has a relatively small area compared to the garden itself THIRD STOP: MULTI-STOREY CARPARK The top level of the carpark is exposed to the elements as there is no shade whatsoever The temperature is also affected by residual heat from the engines of cars, and the surface of the top level is mainly concrete FOURTH STOP: TERRACES We observed that the terraces are largely exposed to the elements, although the top level is covered slightly by some trees The terraces are largely made of concrete, but it can get quite breezy during the day, which will affect temperature readings FIFTH STOP: FIELD The field is a large, open grassy area exposed to all the elements, and is significantly cooler than other areas, due to the transpiration of water vapour by the grass SIXTH STOP: TRACK The track, like the field is exposed, but temperatures are not as cool as the field, due to the fact that the track is made of polyurethane, which absorbs slightly less heat, and also the fact that there were a lot of college students were running on the track during the first session of fieldwork, which can affect temperatures as kinetic energy from their feet is converted into thermal energy FINAL STOP: FOUNTAIN We observed that the area surrounding the fountain was mainly concrete, and the fountain itself was filled with water, therefore it is the coolest The area is surrounded by tall buildings, providing moderate shade TEMPERATURES FOR THE FIRST DAY 8.30AM-8.45AM AreasTemperature at 15cmTemperature at 1.5m MSCP Garden Open Space Terraces Field Track Fountain TEMPERATURES FOR THE SECOND DAY 12.45PM-1PM SitesTemp at 15cmTemp at 1.5m MCSP Garden Open Space Terraces Field Track Fountain RANKING OF TEMPERATURES Site Average Temperature Ranking from hot to cool Concrete? MCSP29.023Yes Garden28.705No Open Space28.855Yes Terraces29.004Yes Field29.023No Track29.452No Fountain29.551Yes TWO HOTTEST AREAS The fountain and the track were the hottest Possible reasons are: the fountain is under direct sunlight, and it is surrounded by buildings painted white, which reflect heat towards the fountain The track is under direct sunlight, and it is made of a rubber-like material, which traps heat DIFFERENCE IN READINGS Based on our results, the temperature taken at 1.5m was generally slightly lower than that at 15cm REASONS FOR DIFFERENT READINGS AT DIFFERENT AREAS We decided that there were several reasons for the differences: 1.Amount of shade provided by surroundings 2.Cloud cover 3.Exposure to sunlight 4.Material 5.Presence of vegetation 6.Amount of wind CONCLUSION We decided to reject the hypothesis due to the results of our fieldwork Our readings showed that the hottest areas were not necessarily made of concrete. On the contrary, some of the concrete surfaced areas were cooler than other places