Ground Materials
Streamlining material specification with intelligent surface selection
Representing ground surfaces to reflect real environmental behavior.
Ground surfaces are fundamental drivers of urban microclimate dynamics. Their thermophysical properties influence heat storage capacity, surface temperature development, evapotranspiration behavior, and shortwave and longwave radiation exchange — all of which directly affect outdoor thermal comfort, surface energy balance, and localized environmental performance.
Automatic Surface Detection
Upon project initialization, the system analyzes the selected geographic location and determines existing ground surface conditions within the defined boundary. Based on geospatial data and surface classification, areas are automatically assigned to one of five predefined material categories: vegetation, concrete, asphalt, water, or soil. This automated classification establishes a context-sensitive baseline model that reflects the current environmental state of the site. By incorporating existing surface conditions from the outset, simulations are grounded in realistic assumptions, improving both analytical reliability and workflow efficiency. Each material category includes internally embedded thermophysical properties required for microclimate simulation, such as radiative behavior, thermal response characteristics, and moisture-related effects. These parameters are predefined and calibrated to ensure physical consistency, numerical stability, and cross-project comparability, while remaining abstracted from the user interface.
Spatial Material Assignment
Users can further modify or redesign surface conditions by defining new boundary polylines directly within the project area. Once a spatial zone is delineated, a different material category can be assigned from the five available surface types, enabling controlled scenario testing. This functionality supports targeted spatial interventions, such as increasing permeable or vegetated coverage, replacing impervious asphalt surfaces, or introducing water bodies to assess localized cooling effects. All thermophysical properties associated with the selected material type are automatically applied within the simulation engine, ensuring physically coherent model inputs while maintaining a streamlined and intuitive design workflow.
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