Geothermal energy has the potential to significantly contribute to the cooling of buildings. A shallow aquifer system in north east Jordan was proven as a geothermal resource for its efficiency for cooling utilization. A numerical 3D model was developed in order to predict the future performance of the geothermal cooling reservoir. Different possible geothermal installations were studied, using various approaches. The study shows that a geothermal utilization of the respective basaltic reservoir is feasible. It features sufficient hydraulic and thermal properties to be utilized for cooling purposes. The developed model has proven to be robust and flexible. It can be easily extended for analyzing other sites. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.