Designing Comfort: Why tree placement matters more than quantity

Ahmed Salem discusses outdoor thermal comfort, microclimates, and why performance-led landscape design is becoming increasingly important across  hot-climate cities.

Outdoor environments across Saudi Arabia and the UAE frequently struggle under real climatic conditions. Surfaces absorb and radiate heat, airflow  becomes restricted, and prolonged solar exposure makes even short periods outdoors uncomfortable. The result is predictable. People retreat indoors, and public space gradually loses its intended purpose.

In cities shaped by extreme heat, a persistent contradiction continues to appear. Many public spaces are visually impressive, carefully designed, and well executed, yet remain largely empty for much of the year. The issue is rarely a lack of investment or design intent. More often, it is a failure to properly address thermal comfort.