Providing thermal comfort in the courtyards of academic buildings is important and increasing tree canopy coverage (TCC) presents a convenient and feasible method to achieve this; however, few studies have comprehensively evaluated the cooling effects of TCC, considering both outdoor thermal comfort and heat dynamics. In this study, we selected two typical academic buildings at Guangzhou University, each with courtyards having different height-to-width ratios (H/W ratios). We employed both field measurements and ENVI-met-based numerical models to simulate scenarios with varying TCCs. The results demonstrated that the cooling effects caused by arranging trees increase with the TCC values. During the hottest hours of the day, trees arranged in courtyards with high H/W ratios exhibited a superior cooling effect compared to those in courtyards with low H/W ratios, with a difference of up to 0.6 °C in the PET (physiological equivalent temperature); however, over the entire daytime, the total sensible heat reduction achieved by trees in courtyards with low H/W ratios surpassed that of courtyards with high H/W ratios, with a difference of up to 0.25 × 10⁴ J/m². Our findings underscore the crucial role of TCC in enhancing cooling in the courtyard of academic buildings, with important implications for university planning and design.

The problem of population aging in China is becoming increasingly serious. Increasing outdoor space can increase the frequency of outdoor activities for the elderly and effectively improve their quality of life. In this study, we examined the thermal comfort of outdoor activity spaces for older adults in summer using a subjective questionnaire in Guangzhou City, calculated and analyzed the perception and comfort range of microclimatic factors for older adults in hot and humid areas, and explored gender differences. The specific results were as follows: (1) The neutral physiological equivalent temperature (PET) for the overall respondents was 30.4 °C, compared to an acceptable PET of 33.8 °C. The neutral wind speed and acceptable wind speed for the overall respondents were both 0.4 m/s. The neutral relative humidity for the overall respondents was 56.49%, whereas the acceptable relative humidity was 64.94%. (2) Gender differences were observed among older respondents regarding PET and relative humidity, while no significant gender differences were found among older respondents regarding wind speed. (3) Summer thermal sensation voting for older adults in hot and humid areas were mainly centered on “hot” (30.2%), and “not too hot nor cold” (38.7%). The wind sensation voting was centered on “not high or low” (44.6%). Humidity sensation voting was mainly concentrated on “not wet nor dry” (69.4%). This study provides guidance to urban planners and architects to help them create urban environments that are more comfortable and responsive to the needs of the aging population.

Due to increasing overheating risk from the global warming, it is crucial to evaluate building performance, especially that of a subtropical terrace house with limited façade exposure, to ensure its future livability. The effectiveness of current cooling strategies has not yet been thoroughly analyzed by considering specific zone position in a terrace house and varying future weather scenarios in existing studies. This study quantifies livability of six typical zones in two types of terrace houses employing two cooling strategies during summer under historical and future weather scenarios. It considers two key outputs: annual heat discomfort hours and cooling Energy Use Intensity (EUI). Additionally, a global sensitivity analysis using Standard Regression Coefficients (SRCs) identifies the key variables. The results indicate that the future annual cooling EUI is projected to increase by around 150 kWh/m², with discomfort hours reaching 80% during summertime. Furthermore, window-to-wall ratio, total length, and solar heat gain coefficients (SHGCs) of windows significantly reduce cooling EUI by 50–165 kWh/m². However, most input variables have a minimal impact on heat discomfort hours, resulting only in a 0.7–7.2% reduction. This study provides an analytical framework for assessing the future livability and sustainability of subtropical terrace houses, facilitating the development of robust strategies during the early design stage.