Overview:

Summary: Doors and windows can be oriented to minimize solar heat gain and increase ventilation.

Implementation: Update design guidelines to orient doors and windows to minimize solar heat gain (e.g. north-south orientation to minimize sun exposure and windows oriented toward prevailing winds for ventilation).

Considerations for Use: This is only applicable to new developments.

• Policy Levers: The mechanism municipalities can use to actualize the intervention. These policy levers will likely be used in combination with each other.
  
  
  MandateMandates are government regulations that require stakeholders to meet standards through building codes, ordinances, zoning policies, or other regulatory tools.
• Trigger Points: Opportunities for municipalities to implement risk reduction and preparedness interventions based on the policy lever, building on the United Nations Environment Programme triggers used in the Beating the Heat handbook (2021).
  
  
  City planning processesIncludes city initiatives such as the development of climate action plan, pathway to zero-energy, master plan, transit plan, energy mapping etc.
  Introducing new or updated zoning/codesIncludes codes, zoning requirements or by-laws pertaining to urban planning and building construction activity.
• Intervention Type:
  Buildings and Built Form
• Sectors:
  Buildings

Impact:

• Target Beneficiaries:
  Property owners, Residents
• Phase of Impact:
  Risk reduction and mitigation
• Metrics:
  Decrease in surface temperature, Energy savings

Case Studies:

• Skysong in Scottsdale, AZ (UNEP, Pg 40)
• Edison Eastlake (UNEP, Pg 36)

Implementation:

• Intervention Scale:
  Building, Site
• Authority and Governance:
  City government
• Implementation Timeline:
  Short-term (1-2 Years)
• Implementation Stakeholders:
  City government, Private developers
• Funding Sources:
  private investment, Public investment
• Capacity to Act:
  High, Medium

Benefits:

• Cost-Benefit:
  Low
• Public Good:
  Low
• GHG Reduction:
  Low
• Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
  Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Co-benefits (Social):
  Save on utilities