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Case studies, news and thought leadership.

The Risk of Designing for a Climate That No Longer Exists

Future Climate Data: A Breakthrough for Sustainable Design In the pursuit of sustainable architecture and urban planning, we must look beyond the present and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. That’s why Future Climate Data remains a critical tool for anyone designing resilience in a changing climate. Powered by advanced AI-driven wind analysis, Orbital Stack…
Using Lawson Wind Comfort Criteria to Elevate Pedestrian Experience in Urban Spaces

Understanding and optimizing the microclimate around buildings becomes paramount as we step into a new era of sustainable and climate-conscious design. But how do we measure something as subjective as wind comfort? At its core, wind comfort is evaluated based on how individuals perceive wind conditions while engaging in different activities. This evaluation relies heavily…
Introducing 3D Wind Streamlines for AI: Revolutionize Early Design with Orbital Stack

Orbital Stack, along with the experts at RWDI and Neural Concept, is proud to announce its newest, game-changing feature: 3D Wind Streamlines for AI Simulations. This feature will bring an unprecedented level of insight to an already robust, rapid environmental analysis toolset. Understanding AI Wind Streamlines AI Streamlines deliver a brilliant, highly visual representation of…
A Deep Dive into Wind Effects in Urban Design

As anyone who’s spent time around skyscrapers knows from experience, the wind effects encountered at ground level — as well as on patios, balconies, terraces, etc. — can be very strong and wildly variable. These sustained flows and strong gusts, which can differ enormously from season to season, result from the way wind interacts with…
How Predictive AI Is Revolutionizing Building Design

Every building has a purpose, from tall residential buildings designed to provide dense housing options in urban environments to commercial buildings that house lively restaurants on one floor and bustling office spaces in the other. What all buildings have in common, however, is the need to be well-designed. Aesthetics are often a sizeable component of…
Choosing the Right Path to Comfort: Comparing UTCI and SPMV Thermal Comfort Indexes

Creating comfortable outdoor environments is a complex endeavor. It hinges on understanding thermal comfort – an individual’s perception of temperature, influenced by both physiological and psychological factors. To analyze and optimize thermal comfort in different spaces, there are various thermal comfort indexes that can come into play. In this blog, we will delve into two…
Making Outdoor Urban Spaces More Valuable Using Climate Analysis

Urbanization — the population shift from rural to urban areas — is one of the greatest forces reshaping our world. By 2050, it’s projected that 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas (a huge jump from 54% in 2016), with developed countries seeing closer to 85%. As urban population densities increase, so…
Unlocking Design Potential: Discover Our New AI Thermal Comfort Solution

Creating comfortable and usable outdoor spaces is crucial, whether in scorching hot climates or freezing cold regions. To address this challenge, we are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking new feature in our toolkit of AI solutions. Introducing our new Thermal Comfort Simulation Tool. With this innovative tool, your team receives almost instant feedback on the…
Modeling Architectural Microclimate Effects: Which Approach, When?

A model is a representation — typically simplified and/or idealized — of a ‘thing’ (e.g., a structure, a system, a phenomenon, etc.). In scientific pursuits, wind models are used to help explore, examine, and explain, ultimately increasing our understanding of how the ‘thing’ represented by the model works and interacts with its surroundings. In architectural…
The Ultimate Pedestrian Wind Analysis Guide [2023]

Offering rewards for architects and property developers who wield it well, Pedestrian-Level Wind (PLW) analysis (also known as Pedestrian Comfort analysis) is becoming a must-have for urban construction projects. But in the world of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), PLW analysis is a fairly recent — and rapidly evolving — arrival. To get you up…
3 Urban Design Trends that Influence Microclimate

Pedestrian Level Wind (PLW) analysis has risen to prominence — and will continue to grow in importance — because of three converging trends. These include 15-minute cities and sustainability initiatives, renewed appreciation for outdoor spaces in urban environments, and an emphasis on increasing density. Trend #1: 15-minute cities and sustainability initiatives We’ve grouped 15-minute cities…
How Early Design Guidance Could Have Saved an Architect Over $100,000 in Redesign Costs

The time and energy saved using early design guidance and implementing proactive and effective mitigation measures instead of experimenting with and paying for several failed options are invaluable to the design process. The importance of early design guidance Using an early design guidance tool not only saves time, but also contributes to the overall safety…
How CFD Varies in the AEC Industry and the Importance of Validation

A version of this article was first published on LinkedIn. With the growth of DIY microclimate tools, it is more important than ever to understand the quality of the CFD results being produced. Here is what architects and building designers need to understand—and the questions to ask—before adopting a new AI or CFD microclimate tool.…
Orbital Stack Announces AI-features For CFD Tool Based on Decades of Wind Tunnel Data

Orbital Stack is proud to announce that RWDI, an industry leading wind engineering firm, has partnered with AI and machine learning company Neural Concept to create AI-powered CFD for early-stage design guidance.
How early design insights swayed a masterplan

Early analysis of solar, wind, and thermal comfort on a proposed masterplan confirms that a multi-use community space will be climate-friendly and livable.
Integrating sustainability into tight design schedules

Learn how a climate-analysis tool can inform early design to improve a proposed building’s long-term performance.
Adding outdoor comfort to a luxury hotel

An early stage CFD wind study detects any outdoor comfort issues for a new hotel in a tropical climate.
Make the most of the zoning process with CFD wind assessment

Orbital Stack confirms that a climate-responsive building design will meet a City’s wind guidelines through early stage CFD analysis.
A proposal for pedestrian comfort

Early designs for a proposed condo development are optimized to keep pedestrians comfortable using Orbital Stack’s climate insights.
When to choose CFD for a pedestrian-level wind study

RWDI wind engineers outline when a CFD wind study using Orbital Stack is ideal for early stage building designs.
Hidden lessons from 2020 to carry us through 2021

Beyond the obvious public health crisis, the pandemic exposed the fragility of many of our systems and economies.
Changing the game on building design

Creating great cities through high-performance buildings has always been a driving passion at RWDI. But such ambitious design requires thoughtful consideration from many perspectives—environmental, engineering and humanistic.
Why “planet experience” is the new UX

A focus on user experience changed the game. Now, companies who embrace “PX” will gain the next competitive advantage.
Building community: Thoughtful building design is altering cities

As cities grapple with the effects of climate change and increased density, we consider how urban spaces can be climate-positive communities.