Optimizing High-Rise Residential Form for Multi-Source Landscape View Access: A Target-Based Visibility Analysis Under Performance Constraints

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Authors: Yang Guo, Dongchi Lai, Yuchuan Zheng, Yechang Zou, Jiaming Yu, Bo Gao
Cited by: 0

Abstract

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 frame-work is applied to evaluate three morphological prototypes: Compact Tower, Dispersed Tower, and Slab–Tower Hybrid. Quantitative simulations identify 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 Hy-brid achieves a cumulative Park-View LVS approximately 1.8 times that of the Compact Tower. Furthermore, environmental simulations indicate the Hybrid fosters stable wind environments (0.4–0.7 m/s) and equitable sunlight distribution. The research concludes that through differentiated massing, high-rise architecture can achieve a synergistic bal-ance between visual openness and physical compactness, transforming view analysis from a passive check into an active design driver.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Urban Design and Spatial Analysis Building Energy and Comfort Optimization Architecture and Computational Design

Publication details

Journal / source
Buildings
Volume
16
Issue
4
Pages
790–790
Publication date
14 February 2026
Language
EN