Effects of landform and building layout on outdoor thermal environment: a case study of mountain villages in severely cold regions

In the global context of climate change and frequent occurrence of extreme temperature variations, the impact of harsh climates on the outdoor thermal environment in remote, cold, mountainous villages is particularly pronounced, leading to many negative effects. The geoorphology of the village sites and their building layouts are important factors affecting the outdoor thermal environment. Therefore, exploring the spatiotemporal characteristics of these factors is significant for optimizing village construction and improving living environments. In this study, taking Fangjialiang Village in a cold mountainous area as an example, we analysed the outdoor thermal environment from a spatiotemporal perspective through comprehensive field investigations and measurements. The findings obtained are summarized as follows: (1) Landform elements were limited by boundary and azimuth constraints (difference in time temperature decay rate between the valley interior and valley edge area: ΔK = 0.48°C/m). (2) The temperature inversion phenomenon in the valley was significant (the average rate of temperature increase with elevation was 0.037°C/m). (3) The vertical distribution of the temperature was more susceptible to the influence of the difference in elevation inside the village (ρ≈–0.48). The average rate of temperature decrease with elevation is 0.489°C/m. (4) A compact building layout could sustainably weaken the effects of topographic elements (e.g. the average temperature sequenced as: closed internal courtyard (Avg = 14.60°C)> semi-open horizontal village street (Avg = 13.58°C)> fully open space (Avg = 13.11°C)). Therefore, the results of the study further revealed the coordinated relationship between the natural environment and rural settlements, proved the integrated effects of village siting and building layout, and provided useful insights for the construction and living environment optimization of mountain villages.