Optimizing High-Rise Residential Form for Multi-Source Landscape View Access: A Target-Based Visibility Analysis Under Performance Constraints
In high-density urban environments, residential design often faces a conflict between maximizing landscape access and maintaining energy-oriented compactness. This study proposes a target-based visibility analysis framework to optimize high-rise forms under strict performance constraints. Utilizing a Quad-mesh reconstruction strategy and Inverse Targeted Ray-Casting, the method accurately quantifies visibility via the cumulative Landscape Visible Surface (LVS) on the target building and Viewpoint-Specific Surface Visibility Rate (Rv) for precise verification against specific landscape targets. The framework is applied to evaluate three morphological prototypes: Compact Tower, Dispersed Tower, and Slab–Tower Hybrid. Quantitative simulations identified the Slab–Tower Hybrid as the optimal solution, demonstrating superior “Visual Morphological Efficiency.” While maintaining a moderate Shape Coefficient (SC = 0.326) to satisfy energy standards, the Hybrid achieved a cumulative Park-View LVS approximately 1.8 times that of the Compact Tower. Furthermore, environmental simulations indicated the Hybrid fosters stable wind environments (0.4–0.7 m/s) and equitable sunlight distribution. The research concluded that through differentiated massing, high-rise architecture can achieve a synergistic balance between visual openness and physical compactness, transforming view analysis from a passive check into an active design driver.
Authors
- Dongchi Lai
- Jiaming Yu
- Yuchuan Zheng
- Yechang Zou
- Bo Gao
- Yang Guo
Institutions
- Central South University of Forestry and Technology (CN)
- Central South University (CN)
- Changsha University (CN)
- Changsha University of Science and Technology (CN)
- South China University of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Buildings
- Published
- 2026-02-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16040790
- Primary Topic
- Architecture and Computational Design
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Central South University
- Hunan University
- Central South University of Forestry and Technology