Assessing Impacts of Surrounding Building on Glare Risk Across Local Climate Zones

ABSTRACT

Daylighting performance in cities is shaped by surrounding urban form, yet the influence of Local Climate Zones (LCZs) on glare prediction remains largely unexamined. This study applies the LCZ framework to investigate how urban morphology affects visual comfort using spatial disturbing glare (sDG). Six LCZ types were analyzed, linking characteristic building height, density, and openness to indoor glare outcomes. For a north‐facing façade without surrounding buildings, glare levels remain stable at 5%–6% across LCZs, indicating minimal variation when no reflective context is present. When surrounding conditions are included, glare increases substantially. High‐reflective materials amplify glare by two to three times, with compact high‐rise LCZs exceeding 15%. Medium‐reflective materials moderate glare, while low‐reflective materials reduce it to 6%–8%. Compact LCZs show the strongest amplification due to close façade interactions, whereas low‐rise LCZs exhibit higher glare at lower floors from ground‐surface reflections. A key finding is the identification of a nonlinear vertical sDG pattern on north‐facing façades, where upper floors record lower glare than adjacent mid‐level floors. Overall, glare risk is shaped by LCZ‐specific morphology, surface reflectivity, and surrounding geometry rather than façade orientation alone, supporting LCZ‐informed urban design for improved visual comfort in dense environments.