Wind and Water Analysis

The prevailing wind on the site comes in mainly from the south-west. The wind is channeled around Robinson College west of the site creating high wind speeds on Grange Road, between my site and the college. The south west is the windiest part of my site and the north west is the least windy.

 Turbulence and Pressure

Arrows show prevailing winds from the south west. Turbulence is located in areas where high and low pressure meet, in this case in areas of difference in height or temperature (i.e. next to buildings)

Wind is sucked down into the site after kings College School and the surrounding trees, and up again over the Solar Trees and the Real Tennis Club.

Since warm air is less dense and creates less air pressure, it will rise, whilst cold air is denser and creates greater air pressure, so it will sink. When warm air rises, cooler air will often move in to replace it, so wind often moves from areas where it's colder to areas where it's warmer. The greater the difference between the high and low pressure or the shorter the distance between the high and low pressure areas, the faster the wind will blow. This is shown by rotating arrows in my diagram above.

Water Analysis.

The image below shows the nearest body of water, a small stream 40m north of the site. The stream is shallow and even in a record 100-year flood (shown in light blue) its flooding does not affect my site. Cambridge's irrigation initiative has drastically reduced the flooding levels of the River Cam and all of its tributaries (like the one below). The direction of the stream (flowing east towards the main River Cam) is shown in my model.

 

 Tributary

River Cam Context