Climate data analysis is a crucial step to be taken before developing projects for urban planning, buildings or engineering works. These input data impact a project's sizing, usability and energy performance. From climate risks at the scale of mainland France and the French overseas departments and territories (DROM-COM), to the characterization of microclimates at the scale of a neighborhood, street or square, the CSTB offers research and expertise services by conducting on-site measurements and carrying out wind tunnel tests and digital simulations.
Expertise
- Characterization of the meteorological conditions of the site: wind, sun radiation, temperature, precipitation, etc.
- Statistical analysis and mapping of the site's extreme weather events: extreme wind speed, simultaneous rain and wind, snow and frost load, maximum temperature, etc.
- Analysis of the risks in connection with extreme weather conditions: temperature (heat waves and extreme cold), wind (storms and tornadoes) and precipitation (flooding).
- Analysis of a site's wind potential
- Characterization of pedestrian comfort in urban environments (thermal and wind comfort)
- Characterization of the performance of green features, such as vertical and rooftop gardens
- Modeling of driving rain phenomena, estimation of the risk of people getting wet in semi-open spaces, such as stadiums
- Study of the behavior of trains in severe weather conditions, such as rain, snow and dust storms
Resources
Experimental and digital methods
- Simulation of all types of rain up to 140 km/h, wind and snow (dry or wet snow) and snow pack.
- Visual displays of flows using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV)
- Characterization of comfort using CFD: Computational Fluid Dynamics, through models or in situ measurements
- Sand and dust storms in wind tunnels up to 120 km/h
- Reproduction of climate in wind tunnels, from extreme polar cold to tropical humid conditions
- Digital simulation of flows around structures; hygronometry, temperature and airflow in a building
- MATHIS, a prediction tool for dynamic indoor thermal and airflow aspects (temperature, pressure, flow rate, humidity rate) depending on outdoor data.