8th International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism, Antalya, Türkiye, 8 - 09 Mayıs 2025, ss.1
Urban
areas with higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas are defined as
“Urban Heat Islands” (UHI), while “Urban Noise Islands” (UNI) are defined as
higher noise levels. These two major environmental problems often occur
simultaneously in the same place. The use of high-reflective cold materials and
sound-absorbing materials in building envelopes are common methods applied
today to reduce UHI and UNI. The aim of this study is to investigate natural
solutions such as earth- sheltered buildings, green roofs, green walls,
urban-scale plantations, large parks, water storage areas, and rain gardens.
The current study includes relevant applied techniques and significant results,
revealed in the literature works. In this study, the use of the proposed natural
methods aims to reduce UHI and UNI, as well as to make multifaceted
contributions to the fields of architecture and urban planning such as
increasing energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, creating aesthetic and
social areas at the urban scale, and supporting biodiversity.