Optimizing Morphological Design in High-Density Residences in Hong Kong to Enhance Mental Health

Zijun Wang

2025

Abstract

This study addresses the challenges of enhancing mental well-being in high-density residential environments, with a specific focus on Hong Kong. Employing a 3D model in Rhino and parametric design in Grasshopper, we used the Wallacei plugin for multi-objective optimization to balance four critical factors—visual exposure, direct sun hours, Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) standard deviation, and building volume—across four building typologies: East-West oriented dot-and-row forms, North-South oriented dot-and-row forms, crossing layouts, and loop-shaped layouts. This process generated six locally optimal configurations for each typology. We then examined how variations in building morphology and street configurations influenced these factors and, in turn, emotional responses. The results indicate that wider streets and a greater number of street intersections enhance visual emotional impact, while narrower streets yield a lower UTCI standard deviation, thereby improving thermal comfort. Typological differences underscore the need for context-specific design strategies to balance these factors. Our findings provide insights for optimizing building configurations to promote emotional well-being in high-density urban settings.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Wang Z. (2025). Optimizing Morphological Design in High-Density Residences in Hong Kong to Enhance Mental Health. In Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Smart Cities and Green ICT Systems - Volume 1: SMARTGREENS; ISBN 978-989-758-751-1, SciTePress, pages 114-121. DOI: 10.5220/0013341600003953

in Bibtex Style

@conference{smartgreens25,
author={Zijun Wang},
title={Optimizing Morphological Design in High-Density Residences in Hong Kong to Enhance Mental Health},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Smart Cities and Green ICT Systems - Volume 1: SMARTGREENS},
year={2025},
pages={114-121},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013341600003953},
isbn={978-989-758-751-1},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Smart Cities and Green ICT Systems - Volume 1: SMARTGREENS
TI - Optimizing Morphological Design in High-Density Residences in Hong Kong to Enhance Mental Health
SN - 978-989-758-751-1
AU - Wang Z.
PY - 2025
SP - 114
EP - 121
DO - 10.5220/0013341600003953
PB - SciTePress