Environmental Design is an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of architecture, sustainability, and technology, dedicated to shaping built environments that are ecologically responsible, climatically responsive, and human-centered. It integrates principles from environmental science, building physics, landscape design, and urban planning, leveraging data-driven methodologies to enhance the performance, livability, and resilience of spaces across scales — from buildings to entire urban ecosystems.

At its core, environmental design seeks to align human development with natural systems. It involves the strategic use of passive and active design strategies, renewable energy integration, thermal and visual comfort analysis, bioclimatic architecture, and nature-based solutions to minimize environmental impact while maximizing occupant wellbeing.

In practice, environmental design is both analytical and creative. It requires the ability to interpret environmental data, simulate complex phenomena — such as daylighting, energy use, urban heat island effects, and thermal comfort — and transform these insights into tangible design strategies.

Tools for environmental simulations serve as a bridge between design intent and environmental reality. They support informed decision-making from the earliest stages of the design process, enabling the integration of passive strategies, resilience principles, and long-term sustainability goals. Rather than relying on intuition or post-construction evaluation, simulations empower designers to test hypotheses, optimize solutions, and visualize outcomes before anything is built.

Professionals in this field operate at the forefront of sustainable design innovation, working closely with architects, urban designers, and engineers to ensure that environmental intelligence is embedded from the earliest stages of the design process. Our work drives compliance with climate targets and anticipates the evolving needs of both people and the planet. Indeed, by translating environmental forces into measurable data, simulation tools allow us to predict, evaluate, and ultimately shape the interactions between buildings, people, and the surrounding climate.

Environmental simulation is nowadays conceived as a design practice in its own right. It cultivates a deeper awareness of how our interventions perform over time, across seasons, and under extreme conditions. It encourages sensitivity to context, climate, and human experience. And as computational methods evolve, it opens up new possibilities for adaptive, regenerative, and high-performance design that aligns with both environmental ethics and architectural excellence.

Infrared.city

Infrared.city is a computational tool and design intelligence framework developed to empower architects, urban designers, and environmental consultants in crafting climate-resilient, data-informed urban spaces. Integrating environmental analysis into parametric and performance-driven design processes, infrared.city translates complex climate data into clear, actionable insights — enabling rapid decision-making for sustainable development.

Rooted in environmental design principles, infrared.city focuses on the thermal experience of cities, offering advanced simulations of urban heat dynamics, outdoor thermal comfort (e.g., UTCI), solar exposure, and vegetation impact. It seamlessly integrates hourly EPW climate data with urban morphology, material properties, and landscape configurations, offering designers the capacity to map, compare, and optimize microclimatic conditions at multiple scales.

What sets infrared.city apart is its ability to bridge scientific rigor with design intuition. Through Python-based automation and interactive visualizations, it allows users to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies such as tree planting, material albedo optimization, shading interventions, and spatial typologies. Users can quantify the thermal mitigation potential of their proposals, assess seasonal and diurnal comfort performance, and communicate evidence-based strategies to stakeholders.

Rather than being a static tool, infrared.city is a methodological lens — a way of seeing the urban environment not as a fixed form, but as a dynamic thermal field shaped by geometry, materials, climate, and time.

infrared.city supports a new paradigm of urban design, one where thermal justice, ecological awareness, and human comfort are not afterthoughts, but core design drivers.

Why to Run These Simulations in Your Project

Designing resilient and comfortable spaces starts with understanding how environmental conditions shape human experience. The simulations below reveal critical climate-driven insights to inform your design strategies—from masterplanning to material choices.

Wind Speed

What it shows

This point-in-time analysis takes wind direction and speed inputs from open-field conditions at 10 m above ground, revealing detailed airflow patterns and velocity distribution across your site at specific moments. The analysis captures complex interactions between building geometry and airflow to identify wind acceleration zones, stagnant areas, and moderate airflow conditions.

Why it matters

By using easily sourced inputs (wind direction and speed), users can test customized scenarios beyond typical weather file limitations—whether connecting designs to real-time meteorological data or testing edge-case probabilities to identify high-risk situations. Multiple scenarios can be combined for comprehensive design evaluation.

How it informs design

Helps to:

• Refine building orientation and facade porosity based on wind dynamics
• Implement protective measures for entrances, walkways, and public spaces
• Optimize natural ventilation strategies using airflow patterns
• Create evidence-based wind-sheltered zones for outdoor comfort and safety

Pedestrian Wind Comfort

What it shows

This comprehensive year-round assessment uses established standards like Lawson Criteria, Davenport, or NEN 8100 to evaluate pedestrian comfort and safety through wind speed and frequency thresholds. The analysis connects to weather information files, linking annual wind distribution patterns with site geometry impacts.

Why it matters

Essential for regulatory compliance in selected regions, while providing evidence that spaces perform comfortably year-round according to validated standards—rather than just during optimal conditions. The simulation can be performed annually or for selected seasons and months.

How it informs design

Crucial for:

• Regulatory compliance with wind comfort standards in public developments
• Long-term comfort and safety in outdoor areas through strategic massing and landscaping
• Positioning of pedestrian areas, cafes, and markets based on wind performance
• Targeted interventions through vegetation placement and wind barriers

Thermal Comfort Index

What it shows

This analysis maps thermal comfort conditions across the site using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), displaying temperature variations through a color gradient. The visualization reveals how different areas experience varying thermal conditions based on building shadows, solar exposure, and microclimatic effects created by urban geometry and materials.

Why it matters

Understanding thermal comfort distribution identifies the most and least comfortable areas for human occupation throughout different times of day and across seasons. This analysis reveals how urban geometry, materials, and environmental factors create distinct microclimatic zones that directly impact pedestrian comfort and outdoor space usability.

How it informs design

Supports decisions on:

• Building placement and orientation to optimize thermal conditions in key areas
• Material selection for surfaces that contribute to comfortable microclimates
• Landscape design including tree placement and water features for thermal regulation
• Programming of outdoor spaces by matching activities to thermally appropriate zones
• Shading strategies to improve comfort in overheated areas
• Urban planning to minimize extreme thermal conditions and enhance livability

Thermal Comfort

What it shows

This analysis maps the percentage of time the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) remains between 9°C and 26°C - the optimal range for thermal comfort outdoors. UTCI accounts for complex interactions between air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and radiation, providing a comprehensive measure of human thermal sensation in outdoor environments.

Why it matters

UTCI provides valuable insights for designing outdoor spaces and assessing climate change impacts on human well-being. The analysis can be performed seasonally, helping to design spaces that remain usable year-round by identifying opportunities for comfort improvements during extreme conditions.

How it informs design

Reveals how spaces perform across seasons, helping:

• Maximize comfort through targeted design interventions
• Adjust orientation and enclosure for passive climate control
• Identify and prioritize zones for public use and human activity
• Seasonal and time-of-day filtering to show insights most critical to project success

Cold Stress

What it shows

This analysis maps the percentage of time the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) drops below 9°C, identifying where thermal conditions create discomfort and potential health risks during colder periods. The analysis reveals how building massing, orientation, and landscape features create microclimates that either exacerbate or mitigate cold exposure, affecting outdoor space usability even in temperate regions.

Why it matters

Understanding cold stress patterns enables strategic interventions that extend the comfortable use period of outdoor environments, contributing to energy efficiency by reducing heating demands and creating more resilient spaces that remain functional across seasons.

How it informs design

Guides strategies for:

• Wind barriers and buffering (screens, vegetation, strategic massing)
• Solar access optimization through orientation and building setbacks
• Street canyon proportions and pedestrian pathway placement
• Thermal mass placement for passive warming strategies
• Seasonal and time-of-day analysis filtered for project-critical insights

Heat Stress

What it shows

This analysis maps the percentage of time the UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index) exceeds 26°C - the threshold beyond which heat becomes physiologically stressful for most people. The visualization reveals vulnerability patterns throughout your site, quantifying both the intensity and duration of heat exposure in different zones, as urban temperatures rise due to climate change and the urban heat island effect.

Why it matters

Heat stress data provides quantifiable evidence to support design decisions that prioritize thermal justice and public health, ensuring that outdoor environments remain accessible during peak heat periods. This analysis is particularly crucial for vulnerable populations, including children, older adults, and those with health conditions that make them more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.

How it informs design

Supports decisions on:

• Strategic tree placement and canopy design for targeted shade
• High-albedo material selection to reduce heat absorption
• Water feature integration for evaporative cooling effects
• Programming of outdoor areas (seating, play areas) based on thermal vulnerability
• Mitigation of urban heat island intensity through evidence-based interventions
• Seasonal operation strategies that can be filtered by time of day for project-critical insights