This study aims to evaluate the impact of different urban building geometries (six courtyards, two canyons, two slabs) on heat mitigation and aircraft noise attenuation, in order to support an evidence-based retrofit plan for future airport neighborhoods. Using ’Pachyderm + ENVI-met simulations + field measurements’, we found that the slanted-roof, low-rise courtyard exhibited optimal acoustic-thermal performance (SPLmin = 71.1 dB(A), σU T CI < 5 ◦C), while the mid-rise canyon demonstrated limited performance (SPLmin = 93.4 dB(A), σU T CI > 10 ◦C). These findings were observed under averaged boundary conditions of a 140 dB(A) aircraft sound source and a diurnal MRT range of 60 ◦C on a heatwave day in July 2022.@en

Analyzing the impact of aircraft noise on urban areas requires specific consideration of sound propagation over long distances, which is not typically covered by tools designed for indoor acoustics. Although it is unclear to what extent existing parametric tools that combine 3D modeling and acoustic simulation can accurately replicate these spatial scales, they provide a valuable means of exploring design options and optimizing performance. One such tool, Pachyderm, a numerical model based on geometrical acoustics, was used to simulate a field lab near Schiphol Airport to assess its applicability for urban acoustics simulation. The simulation results were compared to in-situ measurements, with a focus on differentiating the effect of air noise attenuation based on varying building shapes and the accuracy of the resulting sound pressure level values. The most decisive factors in reducing noise in the courtyard were found to be the building’s orientation and slope relative to the sound source. However, as the design complexity increased with the addition of features such as shielding, the accuracy of the simulation results decreased.@en

Aircraft noise is a major stressor for communities in the vicinity of airports. Aircraft noise prediction models omit the built environment, based on an implicit assumption that the impact of buildings on the propagation of aircraft noise is neglectable. In this article a study is presented in which aircraft noise levels were measured near walls facing towards and away from aircraft flyovers in an urban test environment near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The test environment comprises three adjacent courtyards, each enclosed by stacked shipping containers. To examine the influence of street geometry on aircraft noise, specifically for slanted roofs and building insets, the shipping containers were stacked in a different pattern around each courtyard. In total, sound levels for 2383 aircraft flyovers were analysed across five months at ten microphone positions within the courtyards, for both arrivals and departures. Depending on the geometry of the courtyards, mean differences (L_A,max) between facades with- and without a line of sight towards the aircraft ranged between −1,3dBA and 5,0dBA for arrivals, and 8,7dBA and 13,6dBA for departures. SEL values ranged between between −0,8dBA and 4,3dBA for arrivals, and 8,1dBA and 11,6dBA for departures. The results suggest that slanted roofs perpendicular to the flight direction deflect incident sound, substantially reducing the sounds levels inside courtyards. Contrarily, building insets at building sides facing away from the flight paths did not reduce sound levels underneath the overhangs significantly. The findings stress the importance of architectural and urban design to mitigate aircraft noise.

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The dynamic thermal conditions profoundly impact on the quality of physical, cultural, and social experiences in courtyard spaces. This research aims to identify the microclimatic dissimilarities between courtyards in terms of tempering seasonal–diurnal thermal extremes and enriching ground-level thermal textures. The methodology included field measurements in summer-2021 and winter-2022 in Cambridge, UK; microclimatic simulations of 107 courtyards in ENVI-met and model validations; and machine learning-driven clustering using Super Organising Maps (SuperSOM). The results indicate that the diurnal thermal range of the spatial-UTCI mean in summer (DTR(M)<24^∘C) is double that in winter (DTR(M)<12^∘C); meanwhile the maximum spatial-UTCI deviation is three times as significant (δ>3^∘Cat 7:00 BST versus δ>1^∘Cat 12:00 GMT). SuperSOM analysis was performed using K-means and hierarchical agglomerative clustering to partition all courtyards into seven subclusters on its graph-lattice structure. Clusters Km_I, Hac_I, and Hac_IV feature a positive synergy between the thermal-tempering and thermal-enriching potentials. In contrast, the other four clusters exhibit conflicting scenarios during the day and night across the two seasons analysed. These data-driven outcomes enabled us to optimise spatial and landscape strategies for designing and retrofitting courtyard microclimates, contributing to the current discussions on climate-responsive and sensation-inclusive design in historical urban contexts.

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Aircraft noise is a major source of noise pollution in areas close to airports. Previous studies showed that the design of the urban and architectural context affects local sound levels. Due to surface reflections and edge diffraction, sound levels are reduced or amplified, depending on building geometry and surface materials. Compared to other traffic sources in cities, aircraft noise is currently neither integrated in sound prediction models, nor validated for such purposes. To validate the results from previous computational studies, a full scale experiment was set up. In the experiment, sound and weather data is collected which is used to identify the influence of building geometry and cladding on the propagation of aircraft noise. A subset of the measurements collected on days without wind was used to validate a method for measurements with scale models in an an-echoic room. Based on a series of discrete mono-pole source positions, three flight paths were simulated. Measurements in the an-echoic room were compared with the measurements in the full-scale field lab. This paper presents the results of the experiment and sets out a method for scale model experiments focusing on the prediction of sound in urban canyons for overhead sound sources.@en

Crowdsourced weather data has been increasingly used to provide the input data for the boundary conditions in the microclimate models as well as to validate the modelling outputs. MeteoTracker (MT) is an Internet of Things (IoT) application for domestic vehicles that can contribute to the intra-urban air temperature database for meteorology enthusiasts as well as research and design communities. To promote green and healthy mobility, we have validated the MT device on bicycles and evaluated its monitoring performance with 2 other Kestrel heat stress trackers (KT) at low travelling/wind speed. The pre-planned cycling route cuts through the EUR district in Rome, Italy in September 2021. The dual-sensor design and the radiation error correct system (RECS) in the MT devices demonstrate good abilities in probing air temperature and humidity nuances when passing through different urban areas, as the three devices remain highly synchronised (Pearson r > 0.86). However, the MT device may overshoot the response time (> 41 s) if the cycling speed is less than 3 m/s. We have suggested some strategies for improvement in reducing the response time of probing the ambience under nuanced thermal variability.@en

The microclimate shaped by urban form is one of the critical determinants for the success of public spaces. To date, hundreds of studies have revealed the potential of mitigating heat and cold stresses by spatial-enclosure strategies to reduce thermal discomfort. However, most of them have placed more emphasis on taming the thermal extremes, rather than on enriching the microclimatic context to benefit the thermal experience. A rich thermal context with varied, mild thermal stress would enhance psychological adaptation, affording flexibility and meeting different thermal preferences of sun, shade, wind and stillness. Therefore, we aim to investigate the morphological effects on these thermal qualities, and to compare not only the cooling performance of geometries but also the microclimatic diversity and hourly fluctuation in thermal stress. More than a hundred fully enclosed courtyards (n=107) were selected across 31 colleges and 10 teaching sites at the University of Cambridge. We have completed 20-hour microclimate simulations at 33 domains with boundary conditions near the summer solstice and the ENVI-met simulation results were fed back into the heatmap through Urbano, Dragonfly and Ladybug plugs-in in Grasshopper. We found much stronger morphological effects on the variations of sun and wind than on air temperature and humidity. The inferential statistical analysis has also shown that the compacity of building shades and the vegetation configurations play crucial roles in taming thermal extremes and enriching the urban thermal contexts at the human scale.@en

This study set out to understand the dynamics of human thermal sensation and perception associated with outdoor thermal variability in urban contexts. Previous studies found that compact urban forms and green features can contribute to urban climate diversity, and conjectured whether the wax and wane of thermal stress can promote thermal satisfaction in outdoor public spaces. Hence, a stop-and-go method has been developed to accurately capture thermal transitions along urban walks and to provide snapshots of the momentary body thermal sensation and subjective thermal perception. The measurement campaigns carried in late summer involved a total of 40 participants walking for 70 min through two waterfront districts in Rome, Italy. Our findings indicate that: (1) the oscillation of air temperature along the dense urban walk is nearly twice as frequent as that along the sparse suburban walk, due to the microclimatic diversity shaped by the compact urban fabrics, pocket parks and tree-lined river banks; (2) the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) contrast can effectively predict thermal alliesthesia measured by the rate of change of mean skin temperature, (3) subjective perception shows a significant trend but a poorer model fit predicted by UTCI and; (4) two confounders, view and social backgrounds, are proved to affect the regression model between the objective and subjective data. The conclusions emphasise the importance of incorporating spatial and social contexts into the investigation of outdoor thermal comfort via physiological and psychological approaches.@en

The research of comfort in urban public spaces has become increasingly important for improving environmental quality and encouraging people spend more time in outdoor activities. Among numerous approaches to understand comfort perception, the rational indices based on heat balance theory have prevailed to guide the research and practice in urban planning, design, and management. The limitations of a solely rational index-based approach reveal the necessity for a more comprehensive understanding of comfort by considering a wider range of influential factors from both individual and environmental perspectives during the assessing process. This study conceptualizes individuals’ comfort in urban public spaces as a latent construct, which is measured by indicators regarding perceptions on multifarious meteorological variables. The conceptual framework has been introduced involving hypothetical relationships among individuals’ comfort, attitudes, and environmental perceptions in urban public spaces. A series of field work including microclimate measurements and questionnaire-based surveys were carried out in two public squares in Changsha, China. Based on the dataset derived from 372 questionnaires and related meteorological measurements, this paper examines the relationships between the physical microclimatic variables, individuals’ socio-demographical characteristics and environmental attitudes and perceptions, and outdoor comfort assessment. The estimation results of the structural equation model quantitatively verified the conceptual framework at large, as many hypothetical relationships are identified, which indicates the importance of individuals’ role and the psychological factors in modeling comfort perception. This approach improves the understanding of comfort assessment, contributes to improving the quality of urban environment and the practices of urban planning and management.@en

This study addresses students’ perceptions of using urban green spaces (UGSs) after the easing of COVID-19 lockdown in China. We questioned whether they are still mindful of the risks from the outdoor gathering, or conversely, starting to learn the restoration benefits from the green spaces. Online self-reported surveys were distributed to the Chinese students aging from 14 to 30 who study in Hunan and Jiangsu Provinces, China. We finally obtained 608 complete and valid questionnaire forms from all participants. Their intentions of visiting UGSs were investigated based on the extended theory of planned behavior model. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized psychological model. The results have shown good estimation performance on risk perception and perceived knowledge to explain the variances in their attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavior control. Among these three endogenous variables, the perceived behavior control owns the greatest and positive influence on the behavioral intention, inferring that controllability is crucial for students to make decisions of visiting green spaces in a post-pandemic context.@en

与主体性有关的欲望分析是精神分析学科的 专业所在，而精神分析理论也得到设计批评理论 界的频繁援引，却很少有专门引介的著作。通过 梳理精神分析与其后发展出的精神分裂分析之图 形工具历史，与设计理论的发展进行的互文性对 应，指出其哲学渊源和精神分析制图对新理论形 成的助益：精神分析、精神分裂分析与设计批评 的学科交叉经历了4个阶段（也是其4个基本应用 分类），分别是：文艺批评的隐喻元素阶段、存 在论的讨论工具阶段、系统生态的系谱学叙事工 具阶段，以及跨学科联结的平台阶段。精神分析 制图所经历的二元到多元、从“镜像”的再现到 “话语基础平台”的过程暗合了学科批评范式的 发展史。这其实是20世纪下半叶哲学理论发展的 一个缩影，作为其中一部分的设计理论也受到了 影响—以欲望结构分析城市与建筑理论，作为 “文本的文本分析”。最后，本文指出精神分析 制图、精神分裂分析制图在推动设计学科理论上 的可能方向。 The analysis of desire related to subjectivity is one of the subjects of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis theory is frequently cited by the theorists of design criticism, but there are few works introducing the cartographic tools used in psychoanalysis and the later developed schizoanalysis. This paper makes an intertextual correspondence between the developments of design theory and psychoanalytic cartographies, and proposes its philosophically diagnostic essence and the theoretical promotion from psychoanalysis. It is concluded that the interdisciplinary influence between psychoanalysis or schizoanalysis and design criticism has witnessed over 4 stages—which are also the primary application categories of psychoanalysis and schizoanalysis—including: 1) metaphors in literary criticisms; 2) analytical tools in ontology; 3) genealogical narrative tools in ecology of systems; and 4) synthesis operators for interdisciplinary research. The process from dualism to pluralism and the process from metaphorical representation of mirror to interdisciplinary synthesis operator experienced by psychoanalytic cartographies are consistent with the history of professional discourse and criticism paradigm development, and in fact are an epitome of philosophical theory in the second half of the 20th century. The design theory is also a part of the shift, so the graph of desire could be a way to represent the very discourse of critical history and relevant text. Lastly, possible applications of psychoanalytical and schizoanalytic cartographies in the design theory discourse are proposed.@en

Urban microclimatic diversity is of significance to understanding outdoor thermal satisfaction, as it offers a degree of freedom of choice for comfort seeking behaviour, thermal stimulation and potential alliesthesia. The existing assessment of thermal diversity has shown a strong relation to urban 3D geometry. A new workflow is proposed based on previous methods for strengthening the reliability in mapping urban microclimatic diversity. Two new indicators, the gross sun-wind diversity (D%) and the net diversity (d%) have been tested in three urban district models via Envi-MET simulation. The results are segmented by 9 grades of physiological equivalent temperature (PET), showing the value of including the range and variety of thermal sensations in the assessment of urban comfort. The preliminary findings point to a stronger link between microclimatic diversity and thermal neutrality in transitional seasons than in summer or winter.@en

This research has investigated several correlation patterns between spatial behaviour and outdoor thermal comfort for urban spaces. An eight-hour field work of behavioural snapshots has been carried out at Market square, Cambridge, on a sunny day of May. The universal thermal climatic index (UTCI) was acquired from microclimate simulation in ladybug. The thermalcomfort zones were coupled with four featured behaviours: sitting, standing, strolling and walking. The results have shown a tendency toward occupying shady spaces in general. The canvas awnings have proved the correlation between comfort and behaviour. More interestingly, less comfortable areas appear to be acceptable for more than half of the observed groups with a 4°C increase in UTCI.@en

Retrofitting the building roof of the Shanghai Worker Village is one of the governmental projects in Shanghai to improve the city appearance and energy efficiency of existing buildings. The roof is one of the most important building components to determine the energy performance. Hence, how to appropriately select the roof insulation level is a key question to answer to achieve the optimal performance in the building retrofit. Using the building simulation tool such as EnergyPlus, engineers typically run the deterministic simulation to evaluate the effectiveness of different roof insulation levels in the practice. However, this approach could result in bias due to the insufficiency of the deterministic approach in dealing with the complexity in the building performance simulation. In this study, to better mimic the real scenarios of buildings especially for the urban-level retrofit project, we utilized the uncertainty analysis considering impacts of urban heat island effect, material and building operation uncertainties to conduct a thorough evaluation of possible roof insulation retrofit scenarios. The results indicate that as we further increase the insulation levels, the effectiveness of adding insulation on the heating and total HVAC load saving decease significantly. In the uncertainty analysis, there exists a high probability of overlap in terms of the load saving if sufficient amount of insulation is already attached to the roof. Also, considering the characteristics of the retrofit building and weather conditions, adding extra roof insulation alone might only result in limited impact on the overall energy saving of a building. A further lifecycle analysis is necessary to determine the most efficient way of adding insulation for the roof retrofit.@en

This research takes Anshan village 8 as an example, and builds a model based on investigation, through Ecotect simulates solar radiation to judge whether the output value of solar energy can meet the demand, and comprehensively considers the ecological and economic factors, so as to explore whether the existing workers' village in Shanghai has a solar transformation value. Furthermore, the main purpose of the research is to quantify the potential of applying solar energy resources in existing Shanghai workers' village, and to explore efficient integrated solutions of solar energy into building facades to reach a balance between energy production and respect of the building quality and its context. It has reference value to the practical engineering transformation project related to solar energy application in Shanghai, and ultimately achieves the purpose of comprehensive promotion and implementation.@en

This chapter investigates a model to integrate performance measure and urban design in the context of a high-density urban environment. The objective of this research is to discuss how performance-based modeling can be used for addressing problems of energy self-sufficiency and thermal comfort in a vertical and complex urban environment, in which increasing density may cause climate and ecological consequences. An urban neighborhood in Misono of Tokyo’s metropolitan region is studied to test the relationship between vertical urban form and energy performance. Benchmarking the performance behind urban form and neighborhood typologies leads to criteria of high performance and low carbon emission. The chapter discusses the policy implications of performance-based urban design and development in the context of the Misono Smart City Project, a site for Tokyo’s 2020 Olympics, and proposes a transformative approach to generate better performance for an energy resilient and sustainable urban future.@en

Typologies of the building roof influence the form and the view of a city, and have an impact on its energy performance. “From Flat to Slope Roof” is a governmental project in Shanghai to renovate workers’ villages over the past two decades. The project aimed to change monotonous appearance of the urban roofscape by replacing the flat roof with the slop roof, and to bring benefits of passive cooling through the slide roof to reduce energy demand caused by excessive air-conditioning. However, how different roofing typologies affect the building energy performance requires further investigation. Previous test results have shown that near 6% reduction of total annual building energy consumption could be achieved with the substitution of the polymer material on flat roofs, compared with the reduction by 3% on walls, and the reduction by 2% on floors. In this paper, the numerical modeling with EnergyPlus was applied to test the variation of roofing types and how they would affect the total energy consumption from level of a building to the entire whole community. The results show a connection between the thermal insulation of roof morphology and building energy performance, which conclude an energy reduction strategy through urban design in a neighborhood scale.@en