climate-responsive-design

Climate-Responsive Urban Design Skill

This skill provides a systematic framework for designing urban environments that respond to local climate conditions. It draws on bioclimatic design principles, the Koppen-Geiger climate classification, thermal comfort research (UTCI, PET), urban heat island science, and green infrastructure best practices from cities worldwide. The goal is to ensure that every urban design decision -- from street orientation to material selection -- is informed by the specific climate context of the project.

1. Climate Zone Classifier

Use the following decision tree to identify the relevant climate zone for any project location. This simplified classification maps the Koppen-Geiger system to four design-relevant climate archetypes.

Decision Tree

START: What is the average temperature of the hottest month?

  > 30 C --> What is the annual rainfall?
  |            |
  |            +--> < 250 mm --> HOT-ARID (BWh/BSh)
  |            +--> 250-500 mm --> HOT-ARID (BSh) with seasonal rain
  |            +--> > 500 mm --> What is the average humidity?
  |                               |
  |                               +--> RH > 70% --> TROPICAL (Af/Am/Aw)
  |                               +--> RH < 70% --> HOT-ARID (semi-arid transition)
  |
  25-30 C --> What is the average temperature of the coldest month?
  |            |
  |            +--> > 18 C --> TROPICAL (Af/Am/Aw)
  |            +--> 0-18 C --> What is the annual rainfall?
  |            |                |
  |            |                +--> Dry summers (Csa/Csb) --> TEMPERATE (Mediterranean)
  |            |                +--> Uniform/wet summers --> TEMPERATE (Cfa/Cfb)
  |            |
  |            +--> < 0 C --> COLD (Dfb/Dfc)
  |
  < 25 C --> What is the coldest month average?
               |
               +--> > 0 C --> TEMPERATE (Cfb/Cfc)
               +--> -3 to 0 C --> TEMPERATE (cold variant, Dfb transition)
               +--> < -3 C --> COLD (Dfb/Dfc/ET)