Automating Microclimate Evaluation and Optimization during Urban Design: A Rhino–Grasshopper Workflow

Komi Bernard Bedra (), Jian Zheng (), Jiayu Li, Zhaoqian Sun and Bohong Zheng
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Komi Bernard Bedra: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413000, China
Jian Zheng: School of Architecture, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha 410083, China
Jiayu Li: School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Zhaoqian Sun: School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Bohong Zheng: School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 24, 1-26

Abstract: Though building-scale energy demand and indoor thermal comfort have been extensively covered by recent studies, the automation of middle- and larger-scale outdoor microclimate evaluation in parametric design is less covered. The relatively slow computation and the need for sophisticated expertise are some of the current issues. This paper proposes a Rhino–Grasshopper custom script to automatically compute spatial indicators for a quick thermal comfort estimation. The Galapagos evolutionary algorithm is used to optimize thermal comfort and select the best combinations of spatial indicators. In a summer case study located in Shantou, China, the proposed workflow was three times faster than a non-automated indicator calculation in ArcGIS, while the optimization method achieved 25% to 33% reduction in land areas under extreme heat stress. This automated process applies to existing states and new urban designs. It is adaptable to customized prediction models under different climatic zones.

Keywords: microclimate evaluation; automation; spatial indicators; thermal comfort; evolutionary optimization; Rhino–Grasshopper (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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