The microclimate in housing estates in the Northeast of Brazil

Teresina, located at 05°05 ’ south latitude, with 750,000 inhabitants approximately. The regional climate is classified as tropical continental, with wet summers and dry winters. The annual average temperature is 28°C. The research objective is to verify if the climate conditions in housing estates can be considered heat islands, as a result of their constructive characteristics. The two housings estates analysed have 25 and 10 buildings with 04 floors and 16 apartments in each building. Analysed were the density, topography and ground use of the surroundings, the wind and solar direction of the buildings, the ground covering, the distance between buildings and the height / width relations. Measurements of the air temperature, relative humidity, wind direction and velocity were done in five external points in each housing estate, for three days, at 09:00am, 03:00pm and 09:00pm, in the hot dry season. The results were compared to the data of the meteorological center of the city. The research showed that the housing estates created microclimates in the urban area that can be considered heat islands, due to their characteristics. Key words: urban climate; housing estate