Determining the strategic placement of park elements to maximize natural ventilation and outdoor pedestrian comfort
A park vision led by WEST 8, together with local partner Porras Guadiana Arquitectos, has won an international competition to design and create Parque Central as part of Madrid Nuevo Norte, a new public space to be situated on top of an old railway yard. The challenge was to design a park that could exploit the local climate drivers to provide a comfortable environment for park visitors. A focal point of West 8’s winning entry is the “Jardin del Viento”, a spiral-shaped, vegetation-covered structure in the heart of the park featuring a porous façade designed to enhance the microclimate within this park element.
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The Challenge
In contexts like Madrid, natural ventilation is an important strategy to improve the expected thermal comfort within a park environment. West 8 wanted assistance in determining where park elements should be placed in order to receive the most benefit from the local climate. They turned to RWDI due to our global reputation as climate performance experts.
Our Approach
For their part in the project, RWDI’s team of experts:
- Leveraged wind analysis tools to investigate pedestrian comfort.
- Analyzed the present day configuration and the proposed design to determine how best to exploit shading and favour natural
- ventilation exploiting the predominant North to South winds to bring fresh air and breezes into the park.
- Supported the design and placement of the “Jardin del Viento” to achieve an increased microclimate within this key park feature.
The Outcome
As a result of our collaboration, RWDI’s analysis optimized pedestrian outdoor thermal comfort by strategically placing park elements exploiting local climate drivers. Prevailing winds were channelled to favour natural ventilation. The “Jardin del Viento” was precisely located creating a cooler microclimate. This data-driven approach enhanced park design, setting a new standard for sustainable urban spaces. The Parque Central as part of Madrid Nuevo Norte now exemplifies the seamless integration of architectural vision and climate-performance engineering.
RWDI’s climate performance expertise enhanced the ability of the winning West 8 park design to exploit the local climate drivers in providing park visitors with a more pleasant experience.