heat Advanced
ENVI-met
High-resolution 3D microclimate simulation for streets and neighbourhoods
Addresses
Extreme Heat
- Cost
- Free to use
- Proprietary-Free
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Language
- C++
- Updated
- 2024
You provide
- 3D model of buildings, vegetation, and surfaces
- Local meteorological boundary conditions
You get
- Air and surface temperature fields
- Mean radiant temperature and thermal comfort (PET/UTCI)
- Wind flow and humidity distributions
Overview
ENVI-met is a three-dimensional microclimate model that simulates the interactions between buildings, vegetation, surfaces, and the atmosphere at metre-scale resolution. It is widely used to test how design choices — tree planting, cool materials, building massing, water features — change local temperatures and pedestrian thermal comfort.
Key features
- Coupled fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, plant physiology, and soil science in one model
- Thermal-comfort indices (PET, UTCI) for heat-adaptation studies
- A free tier (ENVI-met LITE) alongside paid research and professional licenses
Who it’s for
Researchers, landscape architects, and urban designers evaluating heat-mitigation interventions before construction.
Getting started
Download the software from envi-met.com; the technical knowledge base at envi-met.info documents model setup and example projects.