Assessing Urban Wind Environments: A Design Optimization Framework

Urban wind conditions play a crucial role in shaping the built environment, influencing critical resiliency factors such as urban heat island, air pollution dispersion, and natural ventilation in buildings. Environmental simulation tools are essential for evaluating these dynamics, supporting informed decisions in urban planning and building design. Despite current advancements, assessing wind environments remains a challenge due to the high cost, increased complexity and time-consuming nature of CFD simulations. This challenge intensifies in early design stages, where optimization is crucial. The paper introduces a new framework for early-stage wind assessment at the urban scale. Through a case study, we propose a design optimization method that integrates geometric, environmental, and design considerations, which in turn allows for a balanced evaluation of wind conditions while maintaining design flexibility. We validate research methods for practical applications, assess their impact, and explore future directions for integrating wind analysis into urban design.