Title: Building climatic zoning under the conditions of climate change in China

Authors: Shanjun Cheng; Mingcai Li; Meiling Sun; Yuehao Chen; Jingfu Cao; Shanshan Yuan

Addresses: Tianjin Climate Center, No. 100 Qixiangtai Road, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300074, China ' Tianjin Climate Center, No. 100 Qixiangtai Road, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300074, China ' Tianjin Meteorological Service Center, Tianjin, 300074, China ' Tianjin Climate Center, Tianjin, 300074, China ' Tianjin Climate Center, Tianjin, 300074, China ' Institute of Building Environment and Energy Efficiency, China Academy of Building Research, Beijing, 100013, China

Abstract: The effects of climate change on building climate zones in China were investigated by using the recent 55-year (1961-2015) meteorological observation data. The results show that the building climate zones have largely changed under climate warming. The changed areas were 31.8 × 10⁴ km², 70.0 ×10⁴ km² and 78.5 ×10⁴ km² for the periods of 1971-2000, 1981-2010, and 1991-2015 relative to 1961-1990, accounting for 3.4%, 7.4%, and 8.3% of the land surface. Among the five climate zones, the severe cold zone has reduced, whereas the other four climate zones have expanded, with the largest expansion occurring in cold zone. The major transition was from severe cold to cold zones. The results in this study suggest that climate change has apparent effects on building climate zones in China. Hence, new climate zones should be reformulated, and accurate building design strategies are urgently needed.

Keywords: building climatic zoning; climate zone; climate change; energy efficiency; China.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2019.100316

International Journal of Global Warming, 2019 Vol.18 No.2, pp.173 - 187

Received: 25 Sep 2018
Accepted: 09 May 2019
Published online: 25 Jun 2019 *

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