A standardized modeling method for Chinese residential building clusters in solar radiation simulation

High-rise and high-density urban housing developments affect solar radiation dissipation, leading to heat accumulation and poor micro-environment quality, especially in high-latitude regions. Numerical simulation is a widely adopted method to study this phenomenon. However, inconsistencies in the selection and description of building model details across different studies can influence simulation results, thereby compromising the general applicability of research conclusions. This study identifies key building details that significantly influence simulation results and develops mathematical models (CLT, BLF, TPM, and RGD) to describe them uniformly and accurately. We propose a standardized modeling method for residential buildings in China, including detailed procedures and parameter formats. Results indicate that building shape, layout, facade (openings for doors and windows), and ground (distribution of roads and green space) are critical factors to consider in solar radiation simulation. The standardized model closely matches real building cases, with relative errors in footprint area, area ratio of window to wall, and road length under 5 %, and geometric deviations of building plan outlines, facade openings, and road centerlines under 0.3m. This method ensures interoperability of models across different simulation studies, facilitating further research, cross-validation, and improving the generalizability of conclusions.