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Volume 15
Issue 22
10.3390/buildings15224121
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Impact of Sky View Factor on Seasonal Microclimate and Thermal Comfort Variability Across Urban Campus Streets and Buildings

by
Zhengyang Yao
1,
Penghui Wang
1,2,
Yunxi Tian
1,
Yichuan Zhang
1,
Qingjiao Zhang
1,
Xiaobing Wang
3,
Ping Wang
4 and
Qisheng Han
1,*
1
School of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003, China
2
College of Landscape Architecture, Shangqiu University, Shangqiu 476000, China
3
School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Xinxiang University, Xinxiang 453003, China
4
Department of Life Sciences, Xianyang Normal University, Xianyang 712000, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Buildings 2025, 15(22), 4121; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224121 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 29 September 2025 / Revised: 2 November 2025 / Accepted: 13 November 2025 / Published: 15 November 2025
Versions Notes

Abstract

University campuses feature spatially diverse environments where thermal performance varies seasonally and spatially. In this study, we integrate field measurements with ENVI-met simulations to evaluate how sky view factor (SVF) influences microclimate and outdoor thermal comfort-quantified via air temperature (Ta), mean radiant temperature (Tmrt), wind speed (WS), relative humidity (RH), physiologically equivalent temperature (PET), and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)-within urban street and urban building spaces on a temperate Chinese campus. The results reveal contrasting thermal responses: in summer, low-SVF urban street spaces (SVF_avg 0.075) exhibit moderate heat stress (PET_avg 34.5–39.5 °C) due to radiative trapping and limited ventilation, whereas high-SVF urban building spaces (SVF_avg 0.159) face greater heat load and stronger thermal stress, with peak PET exceeding 49.9 °C. In winter, high-SVF urban building spaces benefit from solar gain, improving thermal comfort. Statistical analyses indicate non-linear threshold effects of SVF on comfort indices, with summer comfort positively correlated at SVF > 0.2, and winter comfort negatively associated at SVF ≤ 0.4. These findings identify SVF as a key geometric predictor of seasonal thermal comfort in distinct campus spatial types, provide quantitative thresholds to guide climate-resilient campus planning in warm temperate zone.
Keywords: Sky View Factor (SVF); campus microclimate; thermal comfort; urban street and building Sky View Factor (SVF); campus microclimate; thermal comfort; urban street and building

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Yao, Z.; Wang, P.; Tian, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Q.; Wang, X.; Wang, P.; Han, Q. Impact of Sky View Factor on Seasonal Microclimate and Thermal Comfort Variability Across Urban Campus Streets and Buildings. Buildings 2025, 15, 4121. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224121

AMA Style

Yao Z, Wang P, Tian Y, Zhang Y, Zhang Q, Wang X, Wang P, Han Q. Impact of Sky View Factor on Seasonal Microclimate and Thermal Comfort Variability Across Urban Campus Streets and Buildings. Buildings. 2025; 15(22):4121. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224121

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yao, Zhengyang, Penghui Wang, Yunxi Tian, Yichuan Zhang, Qingjiao Zhang, Xiaobing Wang, Ping Wang, and Qisheng Han. 2025. "Impact of Sky View Factor on Seasonal Microclimate and Thermal Comfort Variability Across Urban Campus Streets and Buildings" Buildings 15, no. 22: 4121. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224121

APA Style

Yao, Z., Wang, P., Tian, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Q., Wang, X., Wang, P., & Han, Q. (2025). Impact of Sky View Factor on Seasonal Microclimate and Thermal Comfort Variability Across Urban Campus Streets and Buildings. Buildings, 15(22), 4121. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224121

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