RWDI’s Pioneering Thermal Comfort Work Recognised at London Planning Awards

RWDI’s pioneering work in collaboration with the City of London has been recognised with the Best Project for Sustainable Planning Award at the prestigious Building London Planning Awards in London, UK. 

RWDI has spent several years collaborating with the City of London to model Thermal Comfort Guidelines aimed at better evaluating new building designs and the impact they may have on their surroundings. The Thermal Comfort Guidelines outline how microclimate assessments including wind, sunlight, temperature, and humidity should be used to develop a holistic understanding of the challenges of delivering inclusive and sustainable growth in the city. They aim to establish a firm and robust base not only to assess individual proposals, but also as a basis for policies and enhancement schemes and defining a vision for the future development of the City.

The Building London Planning awards judging panel had this to say: “This is a ground-breaking, world leading piece of planning guidance. The City of London collaborated with private sector experts to gain a detailed understanding of the microclimatic conditions in the City’s public spaces and developed a methodology to assess the impact of the new developments on the microclimate of the City’s existing and new streets, parks, public roof gardens and terraces and public spaces. The judges were impressed with its forward-thinking vision and rigorous approach.”

The Thermal Comfort Guidelines, believed to be the first of their kind in the world, represent a significant move forward in urban planning for the same reasons that wind studies were so important: major developments in dense urban centres mean a more thoughtful approach to design is needed, with more consideration for the surroundings and people in and around these new buildings and developments.

London is the first city to gain such comprehensive insight into local climatic conditions. RWDI is proud to support city planners as they lead the world in creating vibrant, safe and comfortable public spaces.

The need for quality open-air public spaces has never been more important. Now, more than ever, people are heading outside in search of public spaces to rest and relax. Whether sitting, walking, or exercising, they are choosing to do so outside. 

In August of 2019, RWDI released the award-winning guidelines formalising the methodology around pedestrian wind microclimate assessments followed closely by the publication of guidelines for thermal comfort in December 2020. 

Learn more about Thermal Comfort Guidelines and pedestrian thermal comfort and microclimate assessments here.