Sun, wind, and temperature analysis for residential areas

Step-by-step guide

Once a plan area has been created in Forma, the impact of the design can be assessed using the sustainable analysis tools, including sun, wind, noise, solar energy, and more.

Note: analysis options shown may evolve as Forma is developed.

In this example of a residential design, rows of housing units have been arranged into groupings with courtyards. Now, or at any point during the design process, the analysis tools can be used to identify both concerns and benefits of a design.

For all analyses, in the right panel, set the Analysis area by selecting zones or portions of the site to include in the analysis. Then, set the criteria specific to the analysis.

To create a sun analysis:

1. Click Sun hours, which measures the amount of time a part of the building or the ground has sun exposure on any given date.
2. In the right panel, select the Selection (2) zone.
3. Select Analysis dates to see the hours of sun exposure over a specific 24-hour period, or for multiple dates.
4. In this example, pick April 21, June 21, and September 21.
5. Click Run Analysis.

6. Once it is complete, click Open analysis to examine the results.

The results appear in a new Sun hours window for the selected proposal.

IMPORTANT: Some analyses may take some time to complete. Best practice is to initiate all the analyses you need before reviewing results.

To make adjustments to the completed analysis:

7. In the Sun hours panel, click Settings.
8. In the Settings dialog box, change the Date.
9. Adjust the Time interval to a specific time of day, such as only daylight hours between 09:00 and 16:00 hours.
10. Close the dialog box.

11. To view analysis results at specific points in the site, click Inspect
    OR
    press the keyboard shortcut I.

12. Click the site multiple times to add as many inspection points as needed, such as 3 inspection points for this example.
13. Filter the results by adjusting the Analysis bar.

To export the results:

14. In the visibility and orientation toolbar, click Camera position.
15. Select 4K Screen capture or 4K Screen capture with graphics, which downloads a PNG with the inspection points.

Note: The site in this example is close to Oslo, Norway, where it is very cold for part of the year, so sun exposure is important in the summer and spring months. Based on these analysis results, the site is getting good sun exposure in April.

16. Click Close.

To perform a wind analysis and see how the development affects the local airflow patterns for the site:

17. Click the Wind analysis.
18. Choose from two types of wind analyses:
    Rapid wind is intended to provide guidance as you design, with results based on instant predictions.
    Detailed wind involves a more complex simulation and requires more time to complete. Here, a rapid wind analysis is performed, with the results showing immediately in the canvas.

A wind analysis displays both Comfort statistics for the pedestrian navigating through the site, as well as the Direction and speed of the wind flow, depending on the options selected in the right panel.

Note: When Wind analysis is selected for the first time, a rapid wind analysis is automatically run for the site.

19. Click See detailed analysis to review a detailed wind analysis that was run previously for the same area.

In the right panel, the Comfort statistics indicate that 91% of the site is good for sitting and standing. It includes a breakdown of standing versus sitting versus strolling.

20. Click Direction to view the streamlines for the wind flow.

The wind rose shows the frequency of a specific direction of the wind.

21. Drag the slider to understand what different wind speeds would look like in this area.

Based on the Statistics, the area is very good for wind, with 100% falling under low wind speeds. Overall, the results indicate no wind concerns for this site.

To check the results of other analyses:

22. Open the Wind drop-down.
23. Review all the analyses that have been run in the project, along with timestamps. Previous results inform as to whether the situation has improved.

To combine sun hours, daylight, and wind with location weather to compute the perceived temperature on the site:

Note: This data is like the “feels like” temperature on a weather app. In this case, a previously run microclimate analysis is complete for this area.

24. Click the Microclimate analysis.
25. Once the analysis loads, in the right panel, select a specific month and year, such as January.
26. View the Air temperature, Wind, and Statistics.
27. For more details, click the Inspect tool to find any patterns within the area.

Already, a pattern of brighter colors is in the courtyards, indicating warmer temperatures.

28. On the roadway, click to place a couple of inspection points; the temperatures at those points are shown (-17 degrees Celsius).
29. Place an inspection point in the courtyard; notice that there is a 16° difference, with an experienced, or felt temperature of -1°C.

The inspection points confirm that the outside temperature within the courtyard is much more comfortable than in one of the roadways or pedestrian walking paths. This is important to note, because the temperature difference is significant. Generally, -1°C (or about 30°F) is an acceptable temperature for outside, whereas -17°C (or roughly 1°F) is much less comfortable. The temperature difference is most likely a result of several factors, including greater sun exposure and blocked wind flow in the courtyard, based on the building layout.

30. When July is selected in the right panel, similar results appear, again illustrating that it is colder on the roadway and warmer inside the courtyard.

To determine the solar energy potential of solar panels installed on the roofs or another part of the building surface:

31. Click the Solar energy analysis.

Note: In the right panel, the Filter building surfaces option is currently set to Roofs, as well as the total Selected surface area and the Annual solar energy potential.

32. Under Estimate energy from solar panels, drag the slider to adjust the Surface coverage.
33. Drag the slider to adjust the Panel efficiency.