Exploring the Effect of the Architecture Morphology on Urban Ventilation at Block Scale Using CFD-GIS and Random Forest Combined Method

Authors

Bin Guo, Xi'an University of Science and Technology
Miaoyi Chen, Xi'an University of Science and Technology
Xiaowei Zhu, Portland State UniversityFollow
Zheng Wang, Xi'an University of Science and Technology
Lu Li, Xi'an University of Science and Technology
Lin Pei, Xi'an Physical Education University
Hailong Chen, Xi'an University of Science and Technology
Puhao Chen, Xi'an University of Science and Technology
Tengyue Guo, Qinghai University

Sponsor

This work was supported by the Shaanxi key laboratory of enviromental monitoring and forewarning of trace pollutants (SHJKFJJ202319), the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (2024JC-YBQN-0304), and the Key Research and Development Projects of Shaanxi Province (2024NC-YBXM-241).

Published In

Sustainable Cities and Society

Document Type

Post-Print

Publication Date

3-15-2025

Abstract

Urban ventilation plays a crucial role in dispersing air pollutants and mitigating the urban heat island effect. As a key factor, urban architectural morphology can significantly impact the wind field and ventilation efficiency. This study combines Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Geographic Information System (GIS), and Random Forest (RF) methods to investigate the influence of architectural morphology on urban ventilation at the block scale. First, Remote Sensing (RS) and GIS were used to extract architectural morphology parameters. Second, CFD simulations, guided by in-situ observations, were conducted to model the wind field, with the Standard k-ɛ model validated as the optimal choice. Third, RF analysis was used to rank the importance of architectural morphology parameters on urban ventilation. The results show that architectural morphology has a substantial impact on ventilation, with Degree of Enclosure (DE), Building Coverage Ratio (BCR), Space Openness (SO), Floor Area Ratio (FAR), and Building Dispersion Ratio (BDR) identified as the most influential parameters, ranked in descending order of importance. This study provides valuable insights for enhancing urban wind environments through optimized architectural design at the block scale.

Rights

© 2025 Elsevier Ltd.

Description

Post print, 24 month embargo per pub.

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication.

Locate the Document

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2025.106241

DOI

10.1016/j.scs.2025.106241

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43488

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Citation Details

Guo, B., Chen, M., Zhu, X., Wang, Z., Li, L., Pei, L., Chen, H., Chen, P., & Guo, T. (2025). Exploring the effect of the architecture morphology on urban ventilation at block scale using CFD-GIS and random forest combined method. Sustainable Cities and Society, 122, 106241.