Performance-Based Design of Residential Blocks for the Co-Benefits of Building Energy Efficiency and Outdoor Thermal Comfort Improvement

Abstract

Block morphology is critical to building energy efficiency (BEE) and outdoor thermal comfort (OTC), which showcases the significance of block morphology optimization for the built environment resilience to changing climates. However, limited studies have explored the co-improvement of BEE and OTC, so that this paper aims to explore performance-based design of block morphology to achieve the co-benefits of BEE and OTC improvement. This paper developed a co-simulation platform and studied optimal design schemes with a co-consideration of BEE and OTC in Wuhan, China. We extracted 40 prototypes from 114 residential blocks, based on five morphological characteristics, including floor area ratio, building density, building morphology, planar layout morphology, and vertical layout morphology. The BEE and OTC performance of these schemes were simulated by the co-simulation platform built on Grasshopper. A set of optimal design schemes were obtained, and their BEE and OTC performances were comparatively analyzed. The optimal design scheme could have co-benefits of a BEE improvement by 15.16% and an OTC improvement by 35.89% compared to two prototypes with the worst performance. Typically, design schemes with pavilion, north-south staggered planar layout, and building height change in east-west direction could have better co-benefits. This paper provides references to policy makers and urban designers to understand residential block design for BEE and OTC co-improvement.

Keywords: Performance-based designResidential blockBlock morphologyCo-benefitsBuilding energy efficiencyOutdoor thermal comfort