Revealing Urban Morphology and Outdoor Comfort through Genetic Algorithm-Driven Urban Block Design in Dry and Hot Regions of China

Xu, Xiaodong; Yin, Chenhuan; Wang, Wei; Xu, Ning; Hong, Tianzhen; Li, Qi

doi:10.3390/su11133683

Title: Revealing Urban Morphology and Outdoor Comfort through Genetic Algorithm-Driven Urban Block Design in Dry and Hot Regions of China

Journal Article · Thu Jul 04 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Sustainability (Basel)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133683· OSTI ID:1581071

Xu, Xiaodong ^[1]; Yin, Chenhuan ^[2]; Wang, Wei ^[1]; Xu, Ning ^[1]; Hong, Tianzhen ^[3]; Li, Qi ^[1]

Southeast Univ., Nanjing (China)
China Overseas Property, Zhengzhou (China)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

In areas with a dry and hot climate, factors such as strong solar radiation, high temperature, low humidity, dazzling light, and dust storms can tremendously reduce people’s thermal comfort. Therefore, researchers are paying more attention to outdoor thermal comfort in urban environments as part of urban design. This study proposed an automatic workflow to optimize urban spatial forms with the aim of improvement of outdoor thermal comfort conditions, characterized by the universal thermal climate index (UTCI). A city with a dry and hot climate—Kashgar, China—is further selected as an actual case study of an urban block and Rhino & Grasshopper is the platform used to conduct simulation and optimization process with the genetic algorithm. Results showed that in summer, the proposed method can reduce the averaged UTCI from 31.17 to 27.43 °C, a decrease of about 3.74 °C, and reduce mean radiation temperature (MRT) from 43.94 to 41.29 °C, a decrease of about 2.65 °C.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1581071

Journal Information:: Sustainability (Basel), Vol. 11, Issue 13; ISSN 2071-1050

Publisher:: MDPICopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Citation Metrics:

Cited by: 21 works

Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (48)

Addressing thermophysiological thresholds and psychological aspects during hot and dry mediterranean summers through public space design: The case of Rossio Nouri, A. Santos; Costa, João Pedro Building and Environment, Vol. 118 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.03.027	journal	June 2017
Estimating the impacts of climate change and urbanization on building performance Crawley, Drury B. Journal of Building Performance Simulation, Vol. 1, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/19401490802182079	journal	June 2008
Performance-driven optimization of urban open space configuration in the cold-winter and hot-summer region of China Xu, Xiaodong; Wu, Yifan; Wang, Wei Building Simulation, Vol. 12, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-019-0510-z	journal	March 2019
Urban Morphology Extractor: A spatial tool for characterizing urban morphology Jhaldiyal, Alok; Gupta, Kshama; Gupta, Prasun Kumar Urban Climate, Vol. 24 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2018.04.003	journal	June 2018
Comparing the effects of urban heat island mitigation strategies for Toronto, Canada Wang, Yupeng; Berardi, Umberto; Akbari, Hashem Energy and Buildings, Vol. 114 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.06.046	journal	February 2016
Enhancement of city breathability with half open spaces in ideal urban street canyons Wen, Chih-Yung; Juan, Yu-Hsuan; Yang, An-Shik Building and Environment, Vol. 112 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.11.048	journal	February 2017
The urban heat island effect and city contiguity Debbage, Neil; Shepherd, J. Marshall Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Vol. 54 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2015.08.002	journal	November 2015
Sky view factor analysis of street canyons and its implications for daytime intra-urban air temperature differentials in high-rise, high-density urban areas of Hong Kong: a GIS-based simulation approach Chen, Liang; Ng, Edward; An, Xipo International Journal of Climatology, Vol. 32, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.2243	journal	October 2010
Urban climatic map studies: a review Ren, Chao; Ng, Edward Yan-yung; Katzschner, Lutz International Journal of Climatology, Vol. 31, Issue 15 https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.2237	journal	October 2010
Effects of urban morphology on anthropogenic heat dispersion in tropical high-density residential areas Adelia, A. S.; Yuan, C.; Liu, L. Energy and Buildings, Vol. 186 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.01.026	journal	March 2019
Enhancing urban ventilation performance through the development of precinct ventilation zones: A case study based on the Greater Sydney, Australia He, Bao-Jie; Ding, Lan; Prasad, Deo Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 47 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101472	journal	May 2019
Characterizing urban heat island in Montreal (Canada)—Effect of urban morphology Touchaei, A. G.; Wang, Y. Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 19 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2015.03.005	journal	December 2015
Urban morphology and landscape structure effect on land surface temperature: Evidence from Shiraz, a semi-arid city Azhdari, Abolghasem; Soltani, Ali; Alidadi, Mehdi Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 41 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.06.034	journal	August 2018
A model for mapping the energy consumption of buildings, transport and outdoor lighting of neighbourhoods Fichera, Alberto; Inturri, Giuseppe; La Greca, Paolo Cities, Vol. 55 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2016.03.011	journal	June 2016
Optimization method for perforated solar screen design to improve daylighting using orthogonal arrays and climate-based daylight modelling Chi, Doris A.; Moreno, David; Esquivias, Paula M. Journal of Building Performance Simulation, Vol. 10, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/19401493.2016.1197969	journal	June 2016
Identifying urban geometric types as energy performance patterns Oh, Minseok; Kim, Youngchul Energy for Sustainable Development, Vol. 48 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2018.12.002	journal	February 2019
Solar energy and urban morphology: Scenarios for increasing the renewable energy potential of neighbourhoods in London Sarralde, Juan José; Quinn, David James; Wiesmann, Daniel Renewable Energy, Vol. 73 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2014.06.028	journal	January 2015
Impact of urban morphology on microclimate and thermal comfort in northern China Tong, Shanshan; Wong, Nyuk Hien; Tan, Chun Liang Solar Energy, Vol. 155 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2017.06.027	journal	October 2017
Analysing urban ventilation in building arrays with the age spectrum and mean age of pollutants Lau, G. E.; Ngan, K. Building and Environment, Vol. 131 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.01.010	journal	March 2018
Analysis of urban ventilation potential using rule-based modeling Luo, Yanwen; He, Jiang; Ni, Yilan Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Vol. 66 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2017.07.005	journal	November 2017
Evaluation of the thermal environment in an outdoor pedestrian space Nagara, Koichi; Shimoda, Yoshiyuki; Mizuno, Minoru Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 30, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/1352-2310(94)00354-8	journal	February 1996
Microclimate design for open spaces: Ranking urban design effects on pedestrian thermal comfort in summer Chatzidimitriou, Angeliki; Yannas, Simos Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 26 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2016.05.004	journal	October 2016
The urban weather generator Bueno, Bruno; Norford, Leslie; Hidalgo, Julia Journal of Building Performance Simulation, Vol. 6, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1080/19401493.2012.718797	journal	July 2013
Impact of greening on the urban heat island: Seasonal variations and mitigation strategies Chun, Bumseok; Guldmann, Jean-Michel Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Vol. 71 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2018.05.006	journal	September 2018
Surface heat assessment for developed environments: Probabilistic urban temperature modeling Malings, Carl; Pozzi, Matteo; Klima, Kelly Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Vol. 66 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2017.07.006	journal	November 2017
Experimental investigation on thermal radiation exchange of horizontal outdoor surfaces Oliveti, G.; Arcuri, N.; Ruffolo, S. Building and Environment, Vol. 38, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0360-1323(02)00010-0	journal	January 2003
A GIS-based method for modeling urban-climate parameters using automated recognition of shadows cast by buildings Peeters, Aviva Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Vol. 59 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2016.05.006	journal	September 2016
Performance-Based Evaluation of Courtyard Design in China’s Cold-Winter Hot-Summer Climate Regions Xu, Xiaodong; Luo, Fenlan; Wang, Wei Sustainability, Vol. 10, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.3390/su10113950	journal	October 2018
A study of the effectiveness of mechanical ventilation systems of a hawker center in Singapore using CFD simulations Wong, N. H.; Song, J.; Istiadji, A. D. Building and Environment, Vol. 41, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.03.015	journal	June 2006
Effect of Street Design on Outdoor Thermal Comfort in an Urban Street in Singapore Yang, Wei; Wong, Nyuk Hien; Li, Chun-Qing Journal of Urban Planning and Development, Vol. 142, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000285	journal	March 2016
Human thermal comfort in summer within an urban street canyon in Central Europe [Human thermal comfort in summer within an urban street canyon in Central Europe] Mayer, Helmut; Holst, Jutta; Dostal, Paul Meteorologische Zeitschrift, Vol. 17, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2008/0285	journal	June 2008
Policies and technical guidelines for urban planning of high-density cities – air ventilation assessment (AVA) of Hong Kong Ng, Edward Building and Environment, Vol. 44, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.06.013	journal	July 2009
Evaluation and improvement of outdoor thermal comfort in urban areas on extreme temperature days: Applications of automatic algorithms Bajšanski, Ivana V.; Milošević, Dragan D.; Savić, Stevan M. Building and Environment, Vol. 94 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.10.019	journal	December 2015
Applying urban parametric design optimisation processes to a hot climate: Case study of the UAE Taleb, Hanan; Musleh, Mousa A. Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 14 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2014.09.001	journal	February 2015
An Urban Form Experiment on Urban Heat Island Effect in High Density Area Hu, Youpei; White, Marcus; Ding, Wowo Procedia Engineering, Vol. 169 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.10.020	journal	January 2016
THIS – Tool for Heat Island Simulation: A GIS extension model to calculate urban heat island intensity based on urban geometry Nakata-Osaki, Camila Mayumi; Souza, Léa Cristina Lucas; Rodrigues, Daniel Souto Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Vol. 67 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2017.09.007	journal	January 2018
Modeling and simulating urban outdoor comfort: Coupling ENVI-Met and TRNSYS by grasshopper Perini, Katia; Chokhachian, Ata; Dong, Sen Energy and Buildings, Vol. 152 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.07.061	journal	October 2017
Influence of changing trees locations on thermal comfort on street parking lot and footways Milošević, Dragan D.; Bajšanski, Ivana V.; Savić, Stevan M. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, Vol. 23 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.03.011	journal	April 2017
Building envelope shape design in early stages of the design process: Integrating architectural design systems and energy simulation Granadeiro, Vasco; Duarte, José P.; Correia, João R. Automation in Construction, Vol. 32 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2012.12.003	journal	July 2013
Optimal theoretical building form to minimize direct solar irradiation Caruso, Gianpiero; Fantozzi, Fabio; Leccese, Francesco Solar Energy, Vol. 97 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2013.08.010	journal	November 2013
Genetic algorithm-based approach for optimizing the energy rating on existing buildings Fresco Contreras, Rafael; Moyano, Juan; Rico, Fernando Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, Vol. 37, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1177/0143624416644484	journal	July 2016
Building form and environmental performance: archetypes, analysis and an arid climate Ratti, Carlo; Raydan, Dana; Steemers, Koen Energy and Buildings, Vol. 35, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(02)00079-8	journal	January 2003
A holistic approach to energy efficient building forms Okeil, Ahmad Energy and Buildings, Vol. 42, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.03.013	journal	September 2010
Design optimization of office building envelope configurations for energy conservation Lin, Yu-Hao; Tsai, Kang-Ting; Lin, Min-Der Applied Energy, Vol. 171 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.03.018	journal	June 2016
Multiobjective optimization using nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II for allocation of energy conservation and renewable energy facilities in a campus Yang, Ming-Der; Chen, Yi-Ping; Lin, Yu-Hao Energy and Buildings, Vol. 122 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.04.027	journal	June 2016
Investigation of PMV Model for Evaluation of the Outdoor Thermal Comfort Fang, Zhaosong; Feng, Xiwen; Lin, Zhang Procedia Engineering, Vol. 205 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.09.973	journal	January 2017
Outdoor thermal comfort within five different urban forms in the Netherlands Taleghani, Mohammad; Kleerekoper, Laura; Tenpierik, Martin Building and Environment, Vol. 83 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.03.014	journal	January 2015
An introduction to the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) Błażejczyk, Krzysztof; Jendritzky, Gerd; Bröde, Peter Geographia Polonica, Vol. 86, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.2013.1	journal	January 2013

Cited By (1)

Subtractive Building Massing for Performance-Based Architectural Design Exploration: A Case Study of Daylighting Optimization Wang, Likai; Janssen, Patrick; Chen, Kian Wee Sustainability, Vol. 11, Issue 24 https://doi.org/10.3390/su11246965	journal	December 2019

Similar Records

Performance-driven optimization of urban open space configuration in the cold-winter and hot-summer region of China

Journal Article · Sat Mar 02 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Building Simulation · OSTI ID:1581071

Xu, Xiaodong; Wu, Yifan; Wang, Wei; +2 more

Modeling the Impacts of Urbanization on Summer Thermal Comfort: The Role of Urban Land Use and Anthropogenic Heat

Journal Article · Tue Jul 02 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres · OSTI ID:1581071

Yang, Ben; Yang, Xuchao; Leung, Lai-Yung Ruby; +6 more

On the outdoor thermal perception and comfort of a Mediterranean subject across other Koppen-Geiger's climate zones

Journal Article · Thu Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Environmental Research · OSTI ID:1581071

Salata, Ferdinando; Golasi, Iacopo; Treiani, Nicolò; +1 more

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
dry and hot areas
outdoor thermal comfort
urban morphology
urban performance simulation
genetic algorithm-driven

Title: Revealing Urban Morphology and Outdoor Comfort through Genetic Algorithm-Driven Urban Block Design in Dry and Hot Regions of China

Citation Formats

References (48)

Cited By (1)

Similar Records

Related Subjects