BauMat:Navigator – Interactive Materials Catalogue for Cities Facing Climate Change

Abstract

Climate change and rising temperatures have a direct impact on people’s well-being in outdoor spaces. High temperatures cause heat stress. The material catalogue ‘Building Materials for Cities in a Changing Climate’, provides information on the extent to which materials contribute to heating up the urban microclimate and the resulting level of heat stress. Selecting a material means finding the best compromise between different criteria, such impact on microclimate, glare, grey energy, electricity generation, retrofitability, acoustics and service life. A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model is being developed for the material catalogue. The aim of the is to support building designers in selecting external surface materials for wall, floor and roof structures and to help them find the best compromise between different criteria. The web based interactive version will simplify the process of weighing up the various criteria.