Landscape Configuration Effects on Outdoor Thermal Comfort across Campus—A Case Study

Abstract

As a main place for student activities on campus, outdoor spaces have positive impacts on students’ physical and mental health. Namely, outdoor heat and comfort are of great significance to improve activity quality. Here, four unique outdoor spaces were studied to explore the varying effects on human thermal comfort during hot-summer and cold-winter periods. Distinct outdoor spaces (fully open, semi-open, semi-enclosed, and fully enclosed areas) from the southern campus of Anhui Jianzhu University were chosen. The PET was used as a metric for measuring thermal comfort and analyzing correlated spatiotemporal distributions. The results showed that outdoor thermal comfort was derived from multiple factors, including vegetation, underlying surface materials, building presence, and wind-heat environment. Notably, high correlations between Tmrt and thermal comfort were revealed, where such temperatures of places with trees or building shade were low; thus, PET was low. Further, Ws showed a significantly negative correlation with PET. Of the four outdoor space forms, the fully enclosed location had the lowest thermal comfort level, while the semi-enclosed spaces showed the highest level of body comfort. Therefore, semi-enclosed space (U-shaped) is recommended in campus planning and construction. Accordingly, an improved strategy was proposed based on experimental transformation for fully enclosed spaces. The thermal comfort after optimization was simulated to provide references for outdoor space thermal comfort improvement during seasonal extremes.

Evaluation of Nature-Based Solutions to Improve the Urban Microclimate in Mediterranean Climate Conditions: A Case Study of Izmir-Karsıyaka

“…According to the findings of the research, although the positive effects of increasing green space and permeable surfaces were noted, it should not be forgotten that there are many more factors affecting the urban climate, such as albedo and sky view factor [2,5,10]. Conducting further studies with more variations and in different seasons and places will provide much more precise data and bases from which to produce projects that can be widespread throughout the city.…”

“…In many previous studies, validation of ENVI-met results was carried out by comparing the results of simulation and field measurements. Based on these results, it was determined whether the software simulated the environmental conditions with appropriate accuracy [10]. Lam et al (2021) found that Ta is the most important validation parameter, followed by Tmrt and RH [41].…”

“…The UHI is characterized by increased temperature values, lower relative humidity, and moderation of wind velocity, resulting in unpleasant microclimatic conditions for humans [8]. Unpleasant climatic conditions in outdoor areas not only result in less comfortable urban environments but also increase pollutant concentrations, causing health problems and increasing the cooling load of buildings [9][10][11].…”

Thermal Comfort Improvement Strategies for Outdoor Spaces in Traditional Villages Based on ENVI-Met: Shimengao Village in Chizhou City

“…In terms of paving, it is necessary to choose stone paving materials that are in line with the traditional local village style for outdoor spaces. Sunlight can be reflected due to a higher ground reflectivity, thus reducing the absorption of sunlight and lowering the local Ta [63]. In addition, permeable materials can be used to absorb water from the air.…”

Assessment of Outdoor Thermal Comfort in a Hot Summer Region of Europe

“…He concluded that albedo has a lot of influence on the surface temperature and, consequently, on external thermal comfort. Zhang [21] investigated the influence of building configurations at Anhui Jianzhu University on thermal comfort. He concluded that semi-enclosed rooms had high thermal comfort.…”