Block morphology refers to critical parameters influencing building energy performance on the block scale. However, analysis of the combined effect of block morphological parameters on building energy consumption with real blocks is lacking. In this paper, the aim is to evaluate the combined effect of office block morphology on building energy consumption in the context of the Hot-summer and Cold-winter zone in China. First, a workflow for the energy assessment of office buildings with the coupled block morphology on the block scale was proposed with evaluation tools. Seventy office blocks in Wuhan were taken as examples and then classified based on building layout typology and building height. Afterwards, the morphological parameters and building energy use intensity (EUI) for different blocks were calculated. Then, the combined effect of block morphology on the buildings’ energy consumption was evaluated and the model on predicting the building energy consumption of office blocks was proposed. Finally, based on the results, low-energy design strategies were projected for office blocks. The results illustrated that the effect of block morphology on building cooling, heating, and lighting is EUI 28.83%, 28.56%, and 23.23%, respectively. Building shape factor (BSF), floor area ratio (FAR), average building height of block (BH), and average building depth of block (BD) are effective block morphological parameters. The key morphological parameters which combined affect the building energy consumption of office blocks are BSF and FAR; BSF has 1.24 times the effect on building energy consumption than FAR. The workflow built in this paper can be applied to other cities around the world for promoting sustainable cities.

With the accelerated development of subways in China, elevated subway stations (ESSs) capitalize on natural ventilation and lighting to significantly save energy. Nevertheless, their thermal environments are rarely addressed. This study conducts annual thermal environment measurements, surveys, and thermal comfort analysis on five typical ESS buildings. The results of field measurements demonstrate that the station’s thermal environment is influenced by architectural space forms such as skylight ratio, platform doors, openness, and platform form. The standard effective temperature—predicted thermal sensation (SET*—PTS) equation was developed based on the survey, indicating that passengers’ thermal adaptability surpasses the PTS. In summer, the neutral temperatures for passengers in open and enclosed stations are 28.74 SET* °C and 27.13 SET* °C, correspondingly. In winter, they are 23.43 SET* °C and 21.98 SET* °C. Physiological changes that passengers experience during the transition from entering the metro station to arriving at the platform were measured and quantified, which confirmed differences in thermal adaptation during the shift between hot and cold environments, emphasizing thermal delay and accumulation effects. This study provides important guidance for the construction, renovation, and operation of ESS buildings and the development of related standards.

In-depth studies have been conducted on the risk of exposure to air pollution in urban residents, but most of them are static studies based on the population of residential units. Ignoring the real environmental dynamics during daily activity and mobility of individual residents makes it difficult to accurately estimate the level of air pollution exposure among residents and determine populations at higher risk of exposure. This paper uses the example of the Wuhan metropolitan area, high-precision air pollution, and population spatio-temporal dynamic distribution data, and applies geographically weighted regression models, bivariate LISA analysis, and Gini coefficients. The risk of air pollution exposure in elderly, low-age, and working-age communities in Wuhan was measured and the health equity within vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children was studied. We found that ignoring the spatio-temporal behavioral activities of residents underestimated the actual exposure hazard of PM_2.5 to residents. The risk of air pollution exposure was higher for the elderly than for other age groups. Within the aging group, a few elderly people had a higher risk of pollution exposure. The high exposure risk communities of the elderly were mainly located in the central and sub-center areas of the city, with a continuous distribution characteristic. No significant difference was found in the exposure risk of children compared to the other populations, but a few children were particularly exposed to pollution. Children’s high-exposure communities were mainly located in suburban areas, with a discrete distribution. Compared with the traditional static PM_2.5 exposure assessment, the dynamic assessment method proposed in this paper considers the high mobility of the urban population and air pollution. Thus, it can accurately reveal the actual risk of air pollution and identify areas and populations at high risk of air pollution, which in turn provides a scientific basis for proposing planning policies to reduce urban PM_2.5 and improve urban spatial equity.

The block-scale application of photovoltaic technology in cities is becoming a viable solution for renewable energy utilization. The rapid urbanization process has provided urban buildings with a colossal development potential for solar energy in China, especially in industrial areas that provide more space for the integration of PV equipment. In developing solar energy resources, the block layout and the PV materials are two critical factors affecting the distribution of solar radiation and generation. However, few studies have analyzed how to select the most suitable PV materials for different layouts of industrial blocks to obtain the best generation. This study considered the layout of industrial blocks and PV materials simultaneously, and the generation yield was calculated when combined. A total of 40 real industrial block cases were constructed, and radiation distribution data on building surfaces of different block cases were calculated. Data on both were combined to calculate the generation of different PV materials for each block type. The findings indicated that single-story industrial blocks possessed the highest potential for solar radiation, primarily due to the higher percentage of roof area. The influence of PV materials on the installation rate of different building facades varied, with the installation rate of the west facade being the most impacted by PV performance and the roof being the least impacted. Using different PV materials in industrial blocks could lead to a 59.2% difference in solar generation capacity. For single-layer industrial blocks, mono crystalline and poly crystalline silicon were preferable to achieve higher power generation. In contrast, multi-story and high-rise industrial blocks were best suited for a-Si and CIGS to attain higher cost performance. The methods and results of this study guided the selection and installation of PV equipment in various block typologies, thereby improving the refinement of solar resource development, maximizing solar resource utilization, and promoting the development of energy conservation and carbon reduction in cities.

Individuals often adopt distinct behavioral patterns to adapt to different weather conditions. However, most studies on outdoor thermal comfort fail to consider weather variability and associated individual factors as interventions. This study conducted 12 days of field measurements and surveys across two residential areas in Wuhan, categorizing the sampled data based on background temperatures. Thermal benchmarks were developed for different age and gender groups under varying weather conditions, with comparative analyses conducted to evaluate differences in thermal comfort responses. With changes in outdoor temperature, the most comfortable thermal sensation in winter showed a wider fluctuation, ranging from 0.13 to 1.58, while in summer, it ranged between −1.76 and −1.18. The relationship between thermal sensation and comfort varied more significantly among different age groups in winter, while in summer, the differences were more evident between genders. As summer temperatures rose, younger and middle-aged individuals showed a greater increase in thermal sensitivity compared to the elderly. Similarly, males exhibited higher sensitivity than females. In terms of thermally acceptable temperatures, the upper limit was similar across age groups, around 35 °C. However, the lower limit varied as follows: the elderly had the lowest acceptable lower limit of around 0–3 °C; middle-aged individuals tolerated 4–7 °C higher; and young people tolerated 10–12 °C higher than the elderly. Between genders, the upper limit was also similar, but females tolerated 7–10 °C lower temperatures than males. In the context of outdoor thermal comfort studies in residential areas of Wuhan, the Universal Thermal Climate Index demonstrated better applicability than the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature. Overall, by analyzing thermal benchmark models for different demographic groups under varying weather conditions, this study enhances the understanding of how outdoor environments influence thermal comfort and provides valuable insights for targeted microclimate regulation and urban design strategies.