Forum Topic

Wind tunnels

I walked through both Dickens Yard and Filmworks at lunchtime today. Both are absolute wind tunnels on a breezy day.Do architects not think about this stuff at all?

Susan Kelly ● 482d12 Comments

It is noticeable how homes in old towns by the sea often have old lanes parallel to the seafront that are used when it is windy.  Cold and hot countries often have buildings that are accessed from below them nowadays so that you don't have to travel above ground and suffer extreme elements.

Philippa Bond ● 465d

You sure it wasn’t ‘too many cars’ rather than the wind, Paul?

Simon Hayes ● 465d

The voiced are caused by slab sided structures which dominated the City around St Paul's on the 1960s. But the roads were more spacious albeit a bit convoluted but the designs took the wind off the river and made the area down to Blackfriars much worse. Was also way cold and windy as was a bit of Kensington Gore near the royal garden hospital and worst of all the BSI building at Gunnersbury stn. It's windy there on calm still days!Something that never gets factored into design and planning mitigations. Very difficult to solve.

Raymond Havelock ● 466d

Virtually no tall buildings on the south side but walking around there virtually every day (I worked in Gresham Street) in the late 1980's it was bloody cold on St.Paul's Churchyard as the wind whipped up Ludgate Hill.

N V Brooks ● 466d

I was riding to work once and cycled round the corner of St Paul's Cathedral, heading east on the south side, and a blast of wind coming down the side of it stopped me dead in my tracks (no mean feat!).Bloody hundreds of years old cathedrals! :D

Paul James ● 466d

Even simple little ole me knows that tower blocks create winds.

Bettina Margaret Thwaite ● 466d

Well anyone who studied meteorology will tell you the causation of wind, though quite complex for mere mortals.What isn’t disputed is the urban canyon effect created by tall buildings flanking roads. Pollution gets trapped in if the wind direction isn’t optimal, although that optimal wind direction is what creates the wind tunnel. Lose-lose, it seems.

Simon Hayes ● 467d

Where the wind comes from and where the wind goes No-one can tell me 'cos nobody knows.Euston Road by the Capital Radio building used to be horrendous!

Philippa Bond ● 467d

Very unfair comment i think, there isnt anything they can do about the wind.Architects need to balance wind tunnel effect with astetics.Currently if you are standing at the polish resturant you have an amazing view of St Saviours church. It is true that it gets windy but there is a block behind you (kids#1) so what would the alternative be? Another block infront of st saviours with zig-zagging? if they did this people would moan that when inside its like a concrete jungle with no views.... A maze !You'll probably find it was just as windy as the uxbridge rd..

Angelo R Santagata ● 480d

Labour controlled LBE's obvious strategy is to build so many Towers that there will be a "baffling" effect which will reduce and contain wind tunnels..... 😂

Rosco White ● 480d

The problem is not the architects but that planning rules that allow such wind tunnels to be created. They are the inevitable consequence of high rise developments, that are likely to create such effects.

Vlod Barchuk ● 480d

Yep, North Acton is the same.Still, LBE Planning Department with their Town Planners are all professionals, so we're in safe hands.... 😂

Rosco White ● 481d