This article was taken from the December 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
This is an aerial simulation of wind hitting a skyscraper. It was created by research engineer Samuel Wilkinson from the Virtual Environments, Imaging and Visualisation doctoral centre at UCL, to help architects test how their designs would react to wind pressure. High gusts hitting ever-taller skyscrapers can make the buildings sway, cause lasting damage and give its occupants the sensation of sea-sickness.
Wilkinson says skyscrapers more than 600 metres tall -- a height where wind speeds can reach 100kph -- are becoming more common. "For buildings upwards of 300 metres, designers need to seriously consider wind loads in their structural calculations," says Wilkinson. "You can't ignore the aerodynamics."
His algorithm uses machine learning to extrapolate information about wind resistance from the designs of 600 simulated buildings, including ten real-world buildings such as the Shard in London, chosen for their unique features. He feeds information on the building's shape and size into the algorithm and it gives feedback on the building's aerodynamics within 12 minutes.
Wilkinson expects to finish his research in September 2014, when the analysis will include the effect that surrounding buildings have on the wind's speed and direction as it approaches a skyscraper. We hope he breezes through it.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
