Investigating the impact of surroundings on a high-rise residential block’s performance

Urbanisation has increased rapidly in recent years, and more high-rise buildings are built to accommodate the increasing urban population. High-rise buildings affect solar conditions, which can have positive and negative effects on the surrounding areas. The present work evaluates how the location and surrounding environment of a building affect its energy performance by undertaking parametric modelling. In this research, a 12-storey residential building was investigated using a validated building energy simulation model. The cities selected for this research were Copenhagen, Beijing and Singapore, which represent three different climatic conditions. The following parameters were discussed: the quantity, position and height of the surrounding buildings. In total, over 180 scenarios were modelled. The results showed that surrounding buildings could positively and negatively influence the performance of the central building. For a single building, the annual solar gain difference between Denmark and China was 46.2 MWh, and the total energy load difference was 47 MWh. The results indicate that design is an important issue to consider for high-rise buildings, as it can influence energy use by up to 10.17% when the central building is surrounded by eight double-height buildings with a 15 m spacing. The approach presented in this work can be used to inform early-stage design choices.