The traditional residential courtyards in Xiaoyi Ancient City, Shanxi, are a typical architectural form demonstrating significant energy efficiency and climate adaptability. This research examines the climate adaptability of the traditional residential courtyards in Xiaoyi by conducting field measurements and quantitative analysis, and it suggests appropriate optimization strategies. The study concludes that the thermal comfort of the building can be significantly improved by the following factors: a south-facing orientation, central positioning of the inverted house, an enclosure degree of 0.85, a distance of 2400 mm between the main house and side house, a T-shaped courtyard proportions of 3:1, a linear courtyard proportions of 5:1, a U-shaped courtyard proportions of 3:1, an entrance porch proportions of 1.5:1, a gray space scale of 1200 mm under the main house eaves, 500 mm under the side house eaves, and window-to-wall proportion of 0.33 for the main house and 0.32 for the side house. This optimization not only enhances the energy efficiency of the building but also improves internal comfort, as it is based on climate-responsive design. In terms of the inheritance of traditional architectural wisdom and its modern application, this study emphasizes the significance of considering the climatic environment in building design, providing a theoretical foundation for renovating traditional residential and modern architectural design.

With global warming and rapid urban development, the urban surface temperature in summer has been increasing, seriously affecting people’s work and life. The formation and changes in surface temperature are directly related to material surroundings and spatial functions. Urban construction has led to an increase in POIs (points of interest), and the POI represents the functional activity within the space to a certain extent. Therefore, this paper attempts to reproduce the process of the urban internal function development of Chengdu according to the distribution characteristics of different types of points of interest. It also delves into the influence of internal spatial functions on surface temperature in Chengdu. The results show that the surface heat values for all types of functions show a significant increase from 2009 to 2022. The rate of increase is particularly pronounced for public transportation, with temperatures increasing by an average of 0.317 °C per year. In addition, there are differences in the thermal contribution values of different functions. The residential and commercial functions have the most significant impact on surface temperature, with both accounting for more than 0.45 of all functional contribution values. Public transportation has a small thermal contribution value but shows a trend of doubling growth. The findings will provide some insights into the design of cooling in future urban planning.

In frigid environments, antiquated office structures are typically marked by elevated energy usage owing to the constraints of their building shell. This research centres on Xi’an, a city famous for its frigid winters and oppressive summers. This study uses DesignBuilder V6.1 to develop energy-consumption models for standard buildings, assess the energy-saving potential of external wall insulation, window selection, and roof insulation retrofits, and analyse the return on investment for each initiative. The implementation of an expanded polystyrene external thermal insulation system can lead to a reduction in total annual energy consumption by roughly 25–30%; employing low-emissivity double-glazing alongside polyvinyl chloride window frames can decrease heating and cooling energy usage by about 12–15%; notable energy-saving advantages are noted when the thickness of Extruded Polystyrene insulation boards on the roof is below 80 mm, whereas the incremental energy-saving benefits lessen when the thickness surpasses 80 mm. Considering the energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness of various measures, this research recommends a strategy that maximises energy-saving advantages per investment unit: an Expanded Polystyrene external wall insulation system, Low-Emissivity double-glazed windows, Polyvinyl Chloride window frames, and Extruded Polystyrene roof insulation boards ranging from 20 to 80 mm in thickness. This plan achieves an optimal equilibrium between energy efficiency and affordability, making it highly suitable for extensive implementation. This research serves as a benchmark for the initial selection of energy-efficient renovation strategies and the development of policies for analogous older office structures in Xi’an and areas with similar climatic and architectural characteristics.

Subway-hub blocks are critical areas where the pressures of metropolitan populations and environmental quality are closely interconnected. This study constructs a “pressure–context–carrier–response” (PCRC) framework (F1–F7) to systematically reveal the correlations between built-environment characteristics and environmental performance. The results demonstrate that resource allocation (F7) and comprehensive response (F5) display notable “asymmetric differentiation”. The socio-economic environment (F2, F3) considerably influences the concentration of green-space resource allocations (F7) (p < 0.01), with affluent blocks demonstrating a clear advantage in resource distribution. The thermo-ecological composite response (F5), which includes NDVI and LST, demonstrates “statistical convergence” (p = 0.894) across various block types, indicating that resource inputs cannot be linearly transformed into environmental efficiency. This disconnection is ascribed to two physical limitations: firstly, the stochastic nature of spatial distribution (Global Moran’s I ≈ 0) restricts the scale effects of green spaces; secondly, the nonlinear limitations of the physical medium indicate that under conditions of high pressure load (F1) and elevated spatial capacity (F6), the regulatory effectiveness of greening demonstrates a significant diminishing marginal return effect. Therefore, intervention planning must shift from controlling macro-level indicators to optimising micro-level accuracy to address ecological performance constraints in densely populated metropolitan areas.