Wind Engineering

Services provided

• High-fidelity CFD Analysis
  For the convenient assessment of the wind safety or comfort of developments, including:
  • Pedestrian Wind Comfort (PWC) – the usability of outdoor areas for their intended purposes (i.e. walking, standing, sitting).
  • Wind Load on Tall Buildings/Elements – predicting the local wind pressure distribution on building facades.
  • Natural & Mechanical Ventilation – Identifying air movement and its impact on indoor occupant safety or comfort.
  • Wind-driven Rain (WDR) – The impact of wind and rain combined on a building’s exterior.
• Desktop Studies
  Ideal for the evaluation of wind effects on proposed developments and accounts for regional wind climates. Vipac can make wind mitigation recommendations to improve a buildings resistance to adverse wind conditions.
• Wind Tunnel Testing
  Comprehensive assessment of the wind safety or comfort of developments, including:
  • Pedestrian-level wind studies – conducted using a scale model of the development (typically 1:200 or 1:400) and including its surrounds up to 500m. Vipac analyses wind speeds at the ground level for the safety or comfort of pedestrians. Measurements are taken in 36 wind directions (i.e., at 10° intervals).
  • Design pressure analyses – cladding pressure studies using a 3D-printed model of the development and 500 to 1,000 pressure tapes to simulate various façade conditions.
  • Direct force balance testing – for the assessment of wind on a building’s base, i.e. base shear, bend, or torsion. Can be conducted floor by floor (for tall buildings), determining the impact of wind at various levels.