Microclimate Analysis
Micro-climate studies are gaining importance as the population is increasingly concentrated in cities.
Outdoor Thermal Comfort
Users should also be thermally pleasant while sitting in the cafe or walking around the building.
Outdoor comfort: an integrated building-physics study
Short answer: Outdoor comfort is the CFD-based, combined assessment of how usable the areas outside a building — entrances, terraces, plazas, café fronts, walking routes — are in terms of wind, insolation, thermal comfort and rain. Alkazar runs this assessment, from facade wind loads to microclimate, on a single simulation infrastructure.
Family map — which service applies when
- Facade Wind Loading: CFD calculation of the pressure and suction loads wind applies to the building envelope; feeds the design of glazing, panels and the supporting structure.
- Pedestrian-Level Wind Comfort: Assessment of wind speeds around and between buildings at pedestrian level against Lawson-type activity criteria.
- Outdoor Thermal Comfort: Assessment of the thermal sensation created by insolation, shade and wind together (UTCI, SET, PET) in outdoor usage areas.
- Microclimate Analysis: Climate analysis scaled from the regional level down to the building surroundings, quantifying urban heat island, wind and insolation effects on design.
Which question, which analysis?
| Question | Analysis | Related page |
|---|---|---|
| Will the facade glazing/panels withstand wind load? | Facade wind loading analysis | Facade Wind Loading |
| Does wind at the entrance, terrace or plaza prevent walking or sitting? | Pedestrian-level wind comfort | Pedestrian Wind Comfort |
| When and where is it pleasant to sit or walk outdoors? | Outdoor thermal comfort | Outdoor Thermal Comfort |
| How is the building’s surrounding climate changing, past and future? | Microclimate analysis | Microclimate Analysis |
Worked case: Kampüs İstanbul
Immediately next to Istanbul Airport, Kampüs İstanbul — a mixed-use project of more than 534,000 m² developed by İSKA (a Kalyon Holding subsidiary) — combined open, unobstructed terrain with broad horizontal retail masses and a hotel tower: a profile that typically calls for wind, insolation and wind-driven rain analyses together. Alkazar carried out an integrated, CFD-based microclimate assessment in this scope — a concrete example of why outdoor comfort is rarely a single analysis.
Process and deliverables
| Steps | Deliverables |
|---|---|
| Modelling the site and surrounding context → identifying the analysis (or analyses) the project needs (wind load / pedestrian comfort / thermal comfort / microclimate) → CFD simulation → evaluating results against the relevant comfort criteria | Each underlying analysis delivered in its own report and map formats (see the relevant service page); a combined outdoor-comfort assessment on request |
Reference project
- Kampüs İstanbul (İSKA · Kalyon): Wind, Insolation and Wind-Driven Rain Analyses; integrated, CFD-based microclimate assessment.
- Anatolia Ceramic Production Facility: Pedestrian-level wind comfort, facade wind loading and daylight analysis carried out together on the same facility.
Related calculator
See the facade wind loading page for the wind profile and pressure-coefficient calculators.
Frequently asked questions
- Is outdoor comfort one analysis, or a combination of several?
- Usually a combination. Depending on the project, one or more of facade wind loading, pedestrian-level wind comfort, outdoor thermal comfort and microclimate analysis are carried out together; on the Kampüs İstanbul project, wind, insolation and wind-driven rain were all assessed within the same study.
- At which design stage should it be done?
- As early as possible, while massing and site-layout decisions can still change. A wind or insolation issue caught at massing stage is far cheaper to resolve than one addressed later with mitigation measures such as wind breakers, canopies or shading.
- In what format are results delivered?
- Each underlying analysis is delivered with its own format set — comfort maps, pressure/suction results, 3D result files and a report; details are on the relevant service pages (facade wind loading, pedestrian wind comfort, outdoor thermal comfort, microclimate analysis).
- Where have these analyses been applied together on one project?
- On Kampüs İstanbul (İSKA · Kalyon), next to Istanbul Airport, the open and unobstructed terrain combined with broad horizontal retail masses and a hotel tower to create a profile that called for wind, insolation and wind-driven rain analyses — delivered as one integrated, CFD-based microclimate assessment.
Related content
- All Solutions: The full directory of all 16 services.