Effects of Sky View Factor on Thermal Environment in Different Local Climate Zoning Building Scenarios—A Case Study of Beijing, China

As an essential structural indicator of buildings, sky view factor (SVF) is one of the most critical factors affecting the urban thermal environment. However, the relationship between SVF and the thermal environment at the neighborhood scale has not been adequately studied. Therefore, this paper investigates the relationship between SVF and air temperature in different building scenarios based on the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification framework. Firstly, the study is based on multi-source urban data and the Open Street Map (OSM) to map the local climate zones in Beijing. Then, a simulation model with different LCZs was constructed based on realistic scenarios using the microclimate simulation software ENVI-met, and the thermal environment was simulated in 24 h on a single day in summer. Finally, the SVF and air temperature relationship under different LCZ scenarios was calculated and analyzed. The results show that (1) the SVF values of LCZ 1, LCZ 2, and LCZ 5 show a more apparent positive correlation with air temperature than other categories, and the SVF values of LCZ 6–9 show a negative and then positive correlation with air temperature; (2) in the morning, the dense building areas show a weak correlation with air temperature, and the differences in air temperature corresponding to the SVF values in different zones are greater; (3) in the morning, the air temperature in the dense building areas showed a weak correlation, the difference between the SVF values and the air temperature in different intervals was different, and when the SVF was larger or smaller, the air temperature change was smaller and concentrated, and the correlation between the air temperature and the SVF in the open building areas was not obvious; (4) with 12:00 as the dividing line, the SVF and the air temperature in all categories showed a weak positive correlation after this time. This study can provide guidance on optimizing building layouts and mitigating the impacts of urban heat on human health.