Building physics explains how buildings work. It is the study of how heat, air, moisture and light move through a building. All our engineers have a sound understanding of building physics. This allows them to design engineering systems which complement the building.

We also have a team of building physics specialists. Their work enhances our engineering throughout the design process, from assessing the feasibility of innovative concepts, through testing and developing designs, to predicting the performance of completed buildings.

Our capabilities include:

• ventilation studies, using dynamic thermal simulation and CFD
• daylight calculations, including accurate rendered images of the building
• moisture and condensation analyses, to protect historic building fabric
• heat transfer calculations, for example to optimise thermal stores
• energy modelling, to test strategies and demonstrate compliance

We use a wide range of tools, from industry standards (IES and Ecotect), through state-of-the-art software, to wind tunnel testing. For advanced analysis and simulation see also The Light + Air group.