Study cases of energy, microclimate and aeraulic simulations at district scale:  engineering and management frameworks for smarter urban development

Sammanfattning: With population growth and climate change issues, cities will face social, economic and environmental challenges. They are accountable for most of the energy consumption and GHG emissions, and the building sector represents roughly 40% of the final energy consumption worldwide. Still, cities transform by renewing or creating districts, which design comes with specific engineering and management methods. Simulations tools at district scale might lead to more sustainable urban development by considering phenomena at such scale. Energy, microclimate and aeraulic simulations are performed on two study cases from real estate projects in France. This thesis investigates whether the tools allow to unlock new development strategies, and which engineering and management frameworks they require. The benefits for urban planners and architects are discussed, and the replicability of the tools is assessed. The studies also provide academic knowledge, beneficial to the actors for qualitative analyses. The energy needs and potential of energy sharing are assessed. Sensitivity analyses on design characteristics such as windows or insulation provide insight on their respective impacts on energy needs and sharing. The microclimate and heat island effects in the district are investigated, thanks to the evolution of air temperature and comfort index PET, bringing knowledge on the effects of trees and buildings. The winds within several urban plans are also simulated, providing insight on comfort in the district as well as academic experience on the relations between architecture and winds. Those studies therefore provide assessment and recommendations for the district, as well as knowledge for future qualitative and quantitative analyses. Plus, modeling and management issues and their resolutions help to construct a framework to improve the efficiency of such studies in terms of time, and therefore cost. Eventually, a simplified aeraulic study tests the engineering and management frameworks. Finally, conclusions present the design strategies and the management requirements to replicate such studies.