Research on Outdoor Thermal Comfort Strategies for Residential Blocks in Hot-Summer and Cold-Winter Areas, Taking Wuhan as an Example

With the intensification of climate challenges driven by rapid urbanization, the microclimate and thermal comfort of residential blocks have attracted increasing attention. Current research predominantly focuses on isolated morphological factors—such as building orientation, layout patterns, and height-to-width ratios—while neglecting the synergistic effects of multifactorial spatial configurations on outdoor thermal comfort. This study addresses this gap by analyzing 36 residential block samples in Wuhan, a representative city in a hot-summer and cold-winter (HSCW) region. Utilizing the Honeybee plugin in Grasshopper (GH) alongside the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), we simulate outdoor thermal environments to identify critical influencing elements. The results reveal how multifactor interactions shape thermal performance, providing evidence-based design strategies to optimize microclimate resilience in high-density urban contexts. This work advances the understanding of spatial morphology–thermal dynamics and offers practical insights for sustainable residential planning. This study systematically investigates the thermal performance of residential blocks through parametric prototyping and seasonal simulations. Sixteen morphological prototypes were developed by combining four building layout typologies (arrayed, staggered, enclosed, and hybrid) with three critical variables: the height-to-width ratio (HWR), building orientation deviation angle (θ), and sky visibility factor (SVF). Key findings reveal the following: (1) the hybrid layout demonstrates superior annual thermal adaptability when integrating fixed orientation (θ = 0°), moderate H/W = 1, and SVF = 0.4; (2) increased H/W ratios enhance thermal comfort levels across all layout configurations, particularly in winter wind protection; and (3) moderate orientation deviations (15° < θ < 30°) significantly improve microclimate performance in modular layouts by optimizing solar penetration and aerodynamic patterns. These evidence-based insights provide actionable guidelines for climate-responsive residential design in transitional climate zones, effectively balancing summer heat mitigation and winter cold prevention through spatial configuration optimization.