As cities face rising temperatures from global warming and the urban heat island effect, urban street shading has become essential for enhancing outdoor thermal comfort. By rethinking traditional shading strategies—which primarily focus on blocking direct sunlight - this research explores a more holistic approach, factoring in both shortwave and longwave radiation to better mitigate heat stress.

Using Ladybug Tools (LBT), the study validates two workflows for modeling shading effects. The Standard Workflowfocuses only on shortwave radiation, while the SolAir Workflow incorporates the more complex interactions of both shortwave and longwave radiation. Field measurements of Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) under a lightweight shade textile in Turin, Italy, revealed that the Standard Workflow often overestimates shortwave effects. In contrast, the SolAir Workflow provided greater accuracy, capturing the full thermal behavior of shading materials.

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The SolAir Workflow was then applied to design a shade canopy for Precolinear Park in Turin, testing various materials, heights, and ground surfaces. Results highlighted the importance of material properties such as reflectivity, emissivity, and transmissivity. Lower emissivity materials proved more effective at cooling during the day, while canopy height influenced both daytime cooling and nighttime heat retention, offering key insights for balancing comfort across different times of day.

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This research underscores the limitations of traditional LBT workflows in predicting thermal comfort, while the SolAir Workflow emerges as a more robust and accurate tool for urban shading design. By embracing data-driven approaches, urban planners and architects can optimise outdoor spaces to be cooler, more comfortable, and better equipped for climate resilience.