Key outcomes:
- Design optimised to improve comfort
- Town planning application approved
Ensuring comfortable wind conditions for pedestrians is a common town planning permit requirement for a wide range of buildings such as office towers, apartment blocks and retail centres. Outdoor dining areas, balconies and terraces are a particular concern, as patrons in these areas tend to be more sensitive to strong winds. There are a wind range of wind comfort and safety criteria used in different regions.
Figure 1: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was used to assess wind comfort at a proposed retail centre. This image shows contours of wind speed at a height of 1.5 m above ground level.
Synergetics’ expert wind engineers can rapidly assess the likelihood of uncomfortable conditions for proposed developments using advanced simulation techniques. We assess the site specific environmental wind conditions, together with expected usage of surrounding spaces, such as cafes, parkland and walkways.
In this example, Synergetics were approached to conduct a wind assessment for a proposed retail centre in a windy location. The initial investigation revealed high winds in an outdoor dining area. Working together with the architects, Synergetics developed a targeted solution which addressed the wind comfort concerns. Our wind assessment report provided likelhoods of discomfort together with mitigation advice. This formed a critical component of the council approval process for the retail centre.