Renewable energy, thermal comfort of open spaces, and environmental quality. Management of a dynamic equilibrium

Research on environmental comfort, in particular as linked to open spaces and the design of public places in the city, is a theme that is still not dealt with much in the literature. With increased environmental sensitivity, an interest in improving the comfort of open spaces has recently been seen; it is a theme closely connected to the politics of environmental sustainability, the reduction of energy consumption, and greenhouse gases, as currently evidenced by the growing attention to climate change in recent years. Such research has always been substantially based on the consolidated studies conducted in the indoor environment; however, it has now been demonstrated how this research cannot be applied to open spaces, since indoor discomfort is much more controlled and resolved through engineering/installations. In the outdoor case, however, the correct design of urban public spaces is necessary. Starting from these definitions, the design of a place can be considered as the “thermodynamic mediation” between the body and the space (environment), between movement and quiet, between meteorology and physiology