Abstract

The aims of the Flexing Wind project, investigated in an intensive cross-disciplinary course, were twofold. First was to learn about aerodynamic phenomena around buildings. Second was to explore ways to observe, measure, and control the negative effects of wind around specific pedestrian areas, tram stops, and public sites in Melbourne City. Using tools such as a weather station to collect data and CFD software to simulate aerodynamic phenomena students could study the wind conditions in one of the windiest areas in the Melbourne downtown. Various do-it-yourself tools such as mini wind tunnels, handheld probes and sensors were used to evaluate the performance of potential design options, which lead to prototyping full scale adaptive architectural windbreaks.