Beyond NUDAPT and LCZs: Representing historical buildings in urban climate mesoscale models

Historic variations in building regulations and construction practices have profoundly shaped the thermal properties of urban areas, yet these are frequently overlooked or oversimplified in current urban weather and climate models. Buildings from different periods exhibit distinct material and insulation characteristics, leading to varying vulnerabilities to climatic extremes. Most urban mesoscale models, however, rely on generic classifications such as Local Climate Zones (LCZs), neglecting the spatial diversity of building thermal properties.

To address this gap, we developed a novel building representation approach for urban climate modeling using Amsterdam as a case study. By leveraging cadastral data and an extensive review of historical building regulations and practices in the Netherlands, we defined ten “HERITAGE building classes” that capture the thermal characteristics of different construction periods. GIS techniques were used to create heritage maps which were together with the derived thermal property values for each class integrated into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. We analyze and compare the model’s performance against a model setup using the conventional LCZ approach and observational meteorological data from the Amsterdam Atmospheric Monitoring Supersite (AAMS) for the three available urban parameterization schemes during a recent heat wave.

Initial results show sensitivity of the model to the HERITAGE-class parameters and show improvement in representation for diurnal profiles of 2 m temperature and vapour pressure deficit (VPD), especially for the most complex building parameterization scheme (BEP-BEM). This demonstrates the skill of the HERITAGE approach to represent a historic building environment in greater detail and offers a modelling alternative to LCZs urban climate applications based on thermal characteristics and building age.

This approach can provide the urban climate community, modellers, city planners, and policymakers with a new perspective on spatial vulnerability to thermal stress, supporting more effective climate adaptation, heritage preservation, and future-proof urban design.