In the hot season solar radiation impinging on a glass roofing may overheat the underneath space to temperature values which may generate a high stress environment. To moderate the extreme microclimate which may occur in a glass covered semi-outdoor space, evaporative cooling to be applied to the glass roof is suggested. The analysis is performed under both the thermal and the energetic point of view, by accounting for the actual climate of the considered location. The results point out that roof evaporative cooling coupled with glass sheet high solar radiation absorptivity may offer an attractive way for the control of a semi-outdoor environment. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.