Pedestrians’ Comfort Index in Urban Settlements Using CFD Analysis

Application of scale models along with the use of wind tunnel testing facility have been the primary tool used in building aerodynamic studies by architects and planners. Problem areas in a given airflow study could be identified by an experience wind engineer; however, the timely sharing the results with the design team becomes essential for a successful project. This paper a describes new approach using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling that includes the effects of wind speed, temperature, relative humidity, clothing, activity, solar radiation as an index for pedestrians comfort in urban settlements. The study shows the CFD is a reliable alternative design tool given ease of access, use and rapid feedback through various post processing of the results in simulation and contributes to the accelerated design decision making process at all stages of the project