Development of Indexes for the Form and Layout Design of Urban Residential Settlements in the West Plateau Region of China
Abstract
Solar radiation is the most important climate resource for human being. In order to achieve full acquisition and optimal distribution of solar radiation in urban residential settlements (URS), it is considered necessary to guide and control the form and layout design of URS. This research was conducted targeting URS in the west plateau region of China, which possesses abundant solar radiation resource. Firstly, web-based and on-site investigations were conducted, based on which typical building types and layout forms of URS in three representative cities in the researched region, as well as dimensions of typical residential buildings in such URS were identified, some living habits and needs of local residents in the researched region in wintertime were observed and recognized. Secondly, through software simulations, a number of different orientations, typical layout forms and sub-forms of URS were compared regarding their potential of solar radiation acquisition, based on which four indexes are proposed for guiding the design of URS in Lanzhou city. Finally, conclusions and limitations of the research are provided, and further researches are recommended.