The Impacts of Morphology of Traditional Alleys on Thermal comfort: A case study of Da Long Wang Xiang in Zhenjiang, China

Abstract

Traditional alleys in China are mostly characterized by dense population, poor infrastructure, and narrow streets. The general renewal approaches of traditional alleys paid more attention to the physical space while they lack consideration for the thermal comfort of residents, which often results in declines in the rational design of the space and vitality of the community. This research takes Da Long Wang Xiang historical district in Zhenjiang as a case study to investigate the relationship between the morphology of street spaces (Alley Width (W), Sky View Factor (SVF), Height to Width Ratio (H/W), building height on both sides of alley) and microclimatic parameters, such as Potential Air Temperature (Ta), Relative Humidity (RH), Wind Speed (WS), Mean Radiation Temperature (Tmrt) and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET). The results have shown that: 1) the peak temperature was found at 14:00, and the thermal comfort of all alleys is overheated during this period, particularly NW-SE alleys are hotter than NESW alleys; 2) the deviation of Ta, RH, WS, and Tmrt among the NW-SE alleys during 13:00 to 15:00 are smaller than those among the NE-SW alleys; and 3) set a shading device or higher buildings on the side of the afternoon solar incidence can help to create a more comfortable thermal comfort. The findings of this research will provide a new strategy for the renewal design of traditional alleys.