Effects of Landscape Design Elements in Apartment Complexes on Outdoor Microclimate and Thermal Comfort - A Case Study on the Apartment in Gwanak-gu, Seoul -

Apartment housing has become the dominant residential type in South Korea, providing not only living spaces but also multifunctional outdoor environments for recreation, rest, and exercise. Improving outdoor thermal comfort through landscape design is increasingly important under conditions of global warming and urban heat island intensification. This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the impact of landscape design elements on the thermal comfort of apartment outdoor spaces. Thermal comfort indices including Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD), and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) were employed, incorporating metabolic rate and clothing insulation factors. Macro-modeling covering a 2 km radius around the site and micro-modeling reflecting detailed landscape elements were constructed based on the approved site plan and the landscape-specialized design. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted using STAR-CCM+ to obtain microclimatic variables. A representative summer day was selected based on a 10-year average of July climate data to calculate the thermal indices. The results indicate that the landscape-specialized design reduced PMV by an average of 0.27, decreased PPD by 10.93%, and lowered UTCI by 1.02°C compared to the approved site plan. These improvements are attributed to reductions in air temperature and mean radiant temperature resulting from water features, shading elements, and tree planting. This study demonstrates a quantitative causal relationship between landscape design elements, microclimatic modification, and outdoor thermal comfort, providing foundational data for climate-responsive design strategies in apartment landscape planning.