Case Study: Benchmarking Pedestrian Wind Comfort Using CFD
Benchmarking pedestrian wind comfort using CFD in complex urban environments
Navier is participating in BeStPLW (Benchmark Study on Pedestrian Level Winds), a UK-wide blind benchmarking exercise led by the UK Wind Engineering Society (WES) in collaboration with industry and academia.
The study aims to assess how consistently pedestrian wind comfort is predicted across CFD and wind tunnel methodologies, and to help establish clearer best-practice guidance for wind microclimate assessments in the UK.
Our involvement reflects Navier’s wider capability in atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) modelling, urban airflow, and external flow interaction with the built environment, with direct relevance to:
Pedestrian wind comfort and safety
Urban pollutant dispersion
Data centre heat rejection and recirculation risk
External ventilation and exhaust re-ingestion studies
Background to the BeStPLW benchmark
Pedestrian wind comfort assessments are now a routine requirement for major developments in the UK, particularly in dense urban environments and high-rise schemes. While guidance exists - notably the City of London Wind Microclimate Guidelines - significant variation remains in how studies are executed and...
