Future-proofing next-g homes: Enhancing thermal comfort and building energy performance through landscape integration

Buildings in the tropics are increasingly exposed to intense solar radiation and heat gains that result in extreme thermal discomfort, particularly in naturally ventilated buildings. As climate change accelerates, the Next Generation (Next-G) of housing stock must be designed and integrated with future-proofing strategies to ensure indoor livability. Micro-landscape interventions such as trees, lawns and water features have been found to cool outdoor environments through shading and evapotranspiration. While several studies have explored their role in mitigating outdoor heat stress, with a focus on reducing urban heat island (UHI) effects, the impact of landscape configurations on indoor thermal comfort remains underexplored, particularly in extreme climates. This study employs dynamic thermal modelling in DesignBuilder to investigate the role of micro-landscape elements on indoor thermal performance. A three-phase hypothetical building simulation approach was adopted: (1) without landscape features, (2) with landscape features and (3) with landscape features and mixed-mode cooling. Predicted future climate data for two climatically contrasting locations in Nigeria; Jos (cold) and Sokoto (hot), were used to assess comfort and energy performance. Findings reveal that by limiting solar incidences on the building envelope, landscape elements can reduce indoor discomfort hours by up to 18% in naturally ventilated spaces. However, mechanical cooling remains vital for achieving thermal comfort under future climate extremes. A combined strategy of vegetation and cooling achieved up to a 92% reduction in discomfort hours. Yet, this comfort improvement gave rise to an increased energy demand of up to 48% for the total building and 78% for conditioned spaces. These results highlight the capacity of integrated landscape strategies to support, but not replace, active systems in future-proofing Next-G buildings for thermal resilience.