From Malls to data centres, tall and complex buildings, stadium, Airports and offshore structures to entire masterplans, we are using CFD to inform design that is sustainable and resilient in our warming world.

Climate change has created new imperatives for designers. The structures they create need to play their part in building a net zero future but must also be resilient to increasingly extreme conditions. We model that interplay between design and the environment to improve thermal comfort, air quality and the energy-efficiency of building systems, as well as reducing the effects of humidity, solar radiation and wind.

Powerful and highly accurate as the CFD tools we work with are, they remain just tools. Our fluid dynamists are all trained engineers and bring that engineering insight and experience to our modelling. We share a common language with the architects, hydraulics experts and façade designers we work alongside. Our understanding of complex-built environments is matched by our ability to mine, analyse and predict climate data. It is that combination that allows us to identify and model the many variables that govern the performance and experience of new structures.

How we heat, cool and ventilate our spaces, places and structures has a huge impact on the environment. Air conditioning alone is predicted to account for 2bn tonnes of CO2 by 2050*. Our fluid dynamists are helping shape cool, liveable spaces that rely instead on passive ventilation. Accurately modelling and harnessing wind flows not only helps eliminate carbon-costly air conditioning. It also creates a healthier environment.

The longer dry seasons, warmer temperatures, rising sea levels and more frequent extreme rainfall events driven by climatic change are creating stresses for our hydraulic infrastructure too. Flood storage and water supply reservoirs, coastal defence structures, river pumping stations and sewer tunnels are all subject to their impact. We are using CFD modelling to evaluate the safety and resilience of existing water and wastewater infrastructure and to inform the design of new infrastructure capable of withstanding these new threats.