Numerical Study on the Summer High-Temperature Climate Adaptation of Traditional Dwellings in the Western Plains of Sichuan, China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In this paper, the relevant climatic characteristics of traditional settlements in the western Sichuan Plain were studied by means of data simulation, so as to determine their impact on the microclimate of the settlements. The conclusions of this study bring unique insights into the relevant layout of traditional settlements for different climates in the future. The framework of this paper is complete, the research objectives are clear, and each part of the paper introduces the content in detail, especially in the conclusion part, the author also mentions the limitations of this paper and the future research direction, which is relatively complete.

Advantages:

1. The abstract section of this paper is concise and concise, summarizing the background, questions, and results of the research, so that readers can quickly grasp the key points of the research.

2. The author gives a detailed explanation of the research background in the introduction, which provides a complete literature basis for this study and improves the scientific nature of this study.

3. A large number of pictures appear in this paper, through which readers can observe the data in the experiment more intuitively, and the combination of pictures and texts makes the article more vivid.

Tips:

1. In the research area section, there is a mention of "error, no references found", and the authors are advised to reorganize the literature in this part and correct it here.

2. ENVI-MET software was used in this study, and the reasons for this method and the ideas used in the study can be explained in this article.

3. The pictures inserted in 4.1 in the conclusion are not very clear, and the font size of the pictures on both sides is too small to read, so it is recommended that the author revise this part of the illustrations.

4. When conducting this study, the author referred to many previous relevant literatures, and the format of the paper was relatively neat, but it is recommended that the author find some more literature in the past three years, which has increased the real-time nature.

 

5. In the fifth part, the author uses the language narrative form as a whole, and suggests that the author add other forms of auxiliary explanations to make this part easier to understand.

Author Response

1. In the research area section, there is a mention of "error, no references found", and the authors are advised to reorganize the literature in this part and correct it here.

Response: Thank you for pointing this out. To ensure the accuracy of citations, we have carefully reviewed and corrected the literature format and references throughout the manuscript. Additionally, we have updated the references by incorporating more recent literature to enhance the timeliness and relevance of our research.

2. ENVI-MET software was used in this study, and the reasons for this method and the ideas used in the study can be explained in this article.

Response: Thank you for your valuable feedback. We have expanded the explanation of why ENVI-MET software was selected for our study. Additional details regarding the methodological approach and the rationale behind using this software have been added to the manuscript. Please see section 3.1.

3. The pictures inserted in 4.1 in the conclusion are not very clear, and the font size of the pictures on both sides is too small to read, so it is recommended that the author revise this part of the illustrations.

Response: Thank you for pointing this out. The images in section 4.1 have been revised for clarity. The font sizes have been adjusted, and the overall quality of the illustrations has been improved to ensure readability.

4. When conducting this study, the author referred to many previous relevant literatures, and the format of the paper was relatively neat, but it is recommended that the author find some more literature in the past three years, which has increased the real-time nature.

 Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have updated the manuscript with additional references from the past three years. These references enhance the timeliness and relevance of our study.

5. In the fifth part, the author uses the language narrative form as a whole, and suggests that the author add other forms of auxiliary explanations to make this part easier to understand.

Response: We restructured the discussion of our research findings to ensure they are presented in a more logical and accessible manner. To further illustrate the practical applicability of our findings, we included examples demonstrating how the proposed strategies can be implemented in real-world scenarios. These examples are intended to bridge the gap between theory and practice, making our research more applicable to practitioners.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

Introduction at the research          

The research aims to explore and assess the microclimatic environment of a Linpan, focusing particularly on its adaptation to high-temperature conditions and outdoor thermal comfort. Using ENVI-met software, the study seeks to simulate various scenarios by altering building height, building density, tree coverage, and tree arrangement to investigate how these configurations impact climatic parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. Additionally, the goal is to develop strategies for effectively managing thermal comfort and provide practical recommendations for the planning and design of traditional settlements, in order to enhance quality of life and climate adaptability in rural contexts.

Punctual edit correction:

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·         Line 236: (Error! Refer- 156 Reference source not found.)

·         Line 245: (Error! Refer- 156 Reference source not found.)

·         Line 266: (Error! Refer- 156 Reference source not found.)

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General considerations

The research is well-conducted and provides valuable insights into how environmental changes affect the microclimate in traditional settlements. The thorough analysis and the approach using simulations and real data offer a strong foundation for future applications and studies.

Further exploration of the study's limitations and expansion of its scope could enhance the quality and applicability of the research.

·         A description of the research's innovative elements is missing.

·         What is the contribution of the presented research in relation to the existing framework?

·         Can the research findings be applied to areas with different natural characteristics from those presented (e.g., European regions)? If not, include the reasons in the limitations of the research.

Reading the research, I have come to the view that the spatial arrangements used in the past, which are now largely abandoned, offered greater environmental benefits compared to current practices. For instance, in Italy, avenues were once lined with trees, and public spaces such as parking areas featured trees and shrubs. People and vehicles could find shaded areas. So, while some of the considerations in the research might seem obvious, it is still essential to emphasize the need to revert to old patterns to enhance the environmental quality of urban spaces.

In conclusion, the overall assessment of the article is positive. However, I would recommend correcting the errors related to the references to the tables in the text and addressing the questions raised, particularly concerning the generalizability of the study's results to a more diverse and broader range of cases. It may also be useful to explicitly indicate the limitations of generalizing the findings to different urban contexts.

 

Author Response

1. A description of the research's innovative elements is missing. The unique contributions of the research in relation to the existing framework should be explicitly highlighted.

Response: Thank you for comment. We have included a detailed description of the innovative elements of our research in both the introduction (Section 1) and the methodology (Section 3). We have emphasized how our study contributes to the existing framework, particularly by integrating data simulation with real-world observations to assess microclimatic impacts in traditional settlements. This novel approach is especially significant for traditional settlements and rural areas in China, where human habitat studies have predominantly relied on field surveys or traditional ecological methods, with few studies combining these approaches for simulation purposes. Otherwise, we have reinforced the discussion on the environmental benefits of traditional spatial arrangements and emphasized the need to revert to these patterns to enhance the environmental quality of urban spaces, as suggested.

2. Can the research findings be applied to areas with different natural characteristics from those presented (e.g., European regions)? If not, include the reasons in the limitations of the research.

Response: We have expanded the discussion of the study's limitations and clarified the scope of our research. Additionally, in the conclusion and discussion sections, we explored the applicability of our findings to regions with different natural characteristics. We believe that the technical methods used in this study can be applied more broadly, and the basic strategies mentioned in our findings can serve as a baseline for human habitat planning. However, specific localized strategies may vary depending on different models, reflecting the unique characteristics of each area.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have updated the text according to the reviewer's suggestions. However, some minor errors related to cross-references of tables in the text remain, which I believe will be corrected by the editing department before the final publication.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

We have revised the ambiguous table references and have marked these changes using the tracking mode with yellow highlighting for your convenience.

Thank you for your attention to this detail.

Best regards