Quantitative analysis of the building-level relationship between building form and land surface temperature using airborne LiDAR and thermal infrared data

Buildings are an important component of urban form and have complex relationships with land surface temperature (LST). However, the limited availability of high-spatial-resolution data has constrained studies of these relationships at fine scales. In this study, we used airborne LiDAR data, airborne thermal infrared images, and building vector data to quantify the relationships between seven building form indicators and summer daytime LST at the building level for the central area of Tokyo. Results showed that: (i) The correlation with summer daytime LST was most negative for maximum building height, followed by building external surface area and building volume. The “tall-slim” form of buildings had the potential to help mitigate summer daytime LST. (ii) High mean LSTs during the daytime in the summer were associated mainly with low-rise buildings, residential buildings, and wooden buildings; whereas high-rise buildings, office buildings, and reinforced concrete buildings were associated with low mean LSTs. (iii) The correlations between building form and summer daytime LST depended on the building type. Summer daytime LST correlated more strongly with maximum building height in mid-rise buildings than in high-rise buildings. This study provides insights that could enable the improvement of urban building form with respect to the surface thermal environment.