Planning method of centralized greening in high-rise residential blocks based on improvement of thermal comfort in summer

High-rise residential blocks have been built to solve the problem of an urban population surge due to economic development. However, many residential blocks reach only the lower limit of the greening rate, which leads to the deterioration of the thermal environment. To explore the degree of influence and scope of a centralized green space on outdoor thermal comfort in summer, this research uses ENVI-met to analyze the influence of three types of green space on thermal comfort in three types of residential blocks when using different planting patterns. Based on the results, green space construction suggestions for the designer are proposed. For green space for activities, green space enclosed by trees produces the most comfortable thermal environment, and dense spacing can reduce the sensitivity to residential thermal loads. For green space for landscapes, shrubs enclosed by trees can attain the best thermal comfort, and they are followed by trees enclosed by shrubs. When a green space for landscape is set in the center of the block or a downwind area, thermal comfort areas will be improved. The residential garden most obviously improves the thermal comfort of residential blocks in all forms of green space.