Chetwoods were appointed to design a ground-breaking world-first wind amelioration scheme by CPPI, the owners of Bridgewater Place in Leeds.
High winds at the base of the 32 storey tower created a wind tunnel effect making it dangerous for both pedestrians and vehicles in and around the area. For safety reasons some of the building’s entrances, and in extreme cases surrounding roads had to be closed off.
The innovative design solution developed by the Chetwoods Works team uses a series of wind-engineering measures to counteract this.
Following an extensive design and wind tunnel testing programme, with a scale model constructed and tested in America, a planning application for the scheme was lodged with Leeds City Council Planning Department in July 2014. This was followed by further detailed design and extensive wind tunnel and glare tests during 2015-16, with fabrication commencing in early 2017.
The various elements of the design are designed to complement and work with the existing structure of Bridgewater Place. A glass canopy will deflect the wind and protect the main entrance on the north elevation. A perforated metal canopy and vertical screens will diffuse and deflect the downwash to the western side of the building. Three perforated metal wind baffles will span the road to slow the wind down on Water Lane and at the junction with Neville Street.
The scheme is currently on site and is scheduled to be completed in April 2018.
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