Wind comfort and solar access in a coastal development in Malmö, Sweden

Abstract

Strong, cold winds constitute a problem in southern Scandinavia with its open, flat terrain. In the city of Malmö in the south of Sweden there are several new ongoing and planned large development projects, many of which are being constructed in wind exposed areas. One of the planned areas is Nyhamnen, a former harbour area in the north of the city. This paper describes an analysis of a preliminary urban design of the area as regards wind conditions and solar access using Autodesk CFD (wind), Ladybug (sunshine duration on the ground) and SketchUp (shade). Places with wind problems were typically wide streets oriented in the prevailing wind directions, larger public spaces such as squares and a waterfront area where the wind was allowed to accelerate. Moreover, many courtyards, streets and some public spaces had too much shade. For these areas more detailed studies were carried out in order to improve solar access. Suggested measures to improve wind control include adding vegetation and a wind barrier. It was also suggested to lower some buildings to allow for more solar access and to add trees to provide shade in courtyards, streets and some public spaces.