Abstract
In the context of urbanization, research on urban microclimate and thermal comfort has become one of the themes of eco-city design. Sky view factor (SVF), one of the parameters of urban spatial form, combines multiple morphological information, such as plane opening, aspect ratio, and building density and has an important impact on the urban microclimate. However, there is still no clear research conclusion on the correlation between SVF and microclimate. In this paper, nine Local Climate Zone (LCZ) models are used and typical summer meteorological conditions of Nanjing are applied as an attempt to partially fill this gap. The calculated microclimate and thermal comfort indices include air temperature (AT), surface temperature (ST), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS), mean radiant temperature (MRT), and predicted mean vote (PMV). Results show that the local effect of urban morphology on thermal comfort can be retrieved from the use of comprehensive parameters such as SVF (which takes into account the building height, layout, and density) whose distribution in the investigated models showed to be correlated with MRT, so did PMV under low wind speed conditions.
Highlights
The process of urbanization is crucial for a country’s social evolution and economic development.Over the past two decades, large-scale urban constructions and high-density building arrangements have changed the existing urban physical space form, leading to a series of urban issues mainly related to climate and environment, such as the urban heat island (UHI) effect, the urban microclimate and air quality deterioration, the building energy consumption increase, and the enhanced greenhouse effect [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Results show that the local effect of urban morphology on thermal comfort can be retrieved from the use of comprehensive parameters such as sky view factor (SVF) whose distribution in the investigated models showed to be correlated with mean radiant temperature (MRT), so did predicted mean vote (PMV) under low wind speed conditions
This paper evaluates the relationship between urban form and microclimate by correlating the SVF
Summary
Over the past two decades, large-scale urban constructions and high-density building arrangements have changed the existing urban physical space form, leading to a series of urban issues mainly related to climate and environment, such as the urban heat island (UHI) effect, the urban microclimate and air quality deterioration, the building energy consumption increase, and the enhanced greenhouse effect [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The concept of urban planning and design is experiencing a transformation from the traditional urban demands of rational functional layout, sustainable industrial structure, and complete infrastructure to the new requirements of livable, ecological, and sustainable modern urban quality. Obtaining indicators from urban environmental issues and applying appropriate ecological design means are becoming more and more important in projects of urban renewal and other urban constructions. As for thermal comfort, it can be evaluated by means of field and laboratory measurements, questionnaires, and numerical modeling
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