FuturesIdeas for a sustainable world

What is the impact of urban heat islands?; What is the impact of urban heat islands?;

Tackling the urban heat island effect

Our cities are getting hotter. With heatwaves increasing in frequency and intensity, and cities’ habit of replacing green space with concrete, tarmac, glass and steel, ‘urban heat islands’ are the inevitable result.

Arup has been exploring this problem, developing a new tool to identify cities’ heat island hotspots, and working on nature-based solutions to rising temperatures.

At Arup we’ve been developing and delivering digital twins for some time, and our belief is that they go beyond simply offering effective control of a singular building or asset.

The brain of a sustainable building – its time to invest in digital twins

Traditionally, developers, owners and operators had to make do with predictions about building running costs and optimise their asset’s use as best they could, using a patchwork of disconnected technical systems. A world of net zero goals and increasing energy costs means this is no longer viable. This presents an opportunity for digital twins.

Discover how we're using digital twins