Office spaces

CFD analysis for optimization and validation of HVAC system performance under real-world office conditions

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Increase productivity through optimal thermal comfort

Workplaces in general—and office spaces in particular—are environments where thermal comfort has a proven impact on productivity, health, and employee wellbeing. The (re)development of office buildings therefore benefits greatly from early-stage design analysis, optimization, and thorough validation of design concepts.

While building energy simulations are effective for sizing HVAC system capacity, they do not provide sufficient insight into local indoor comfort conditions. A detailed analysis of indoor airflow is required to understand how air distribution, air velocity, temperature gradients, and thermal radiation affect occupants at workstation level.

Factors such as airflow patterns, draft risk, radiant temperature asymmetry, and temperature stratification play a critical role in perceived comfort and cannot be neglected. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is therefore indispensable for office design and optimization. The investment in CFD is typically recovered quickly through improved comfort, higher productivity, and reduced operational issues.

Our clients

We perform indoor airflow analysis using CFD for a wide range of clients. Most of our clients do not have the specialized expertise or computational resources required to carry out advanced CFD simulations in-house.

We primarily support:

Engineering and consultancy firms involved in building and office design
HVAC engineers responsible for ventilation and climate control systems
Project teams working on new-build and refurbished office buildings

Our services include:

Identifying applicable regulations, standards, and thermal comfort guidelines
Defining realistic and worst-case operating scenarios
Setting up and performing validated CFD simulations
Proposing design improvements and mitigation measures where required

Our goal is to ensure compliance with building codes, indoor air quality standards, and thermal comfort requirements, while supporting high-performance and user-centered office environments.

Outcomes and deliverables

Our CFD studies help clients optimize and validate HVAC system performance under real-world office conditions. We typically start from a base design provided by the HVAC engineer and assess worst-case scenarios in terms of occupancy density, internal heat gains, and external climate conditions.

Based on the CFD results, we provide targeted recommendations to improve performance across a wide range of design parameters, including:

Supply and exhaust system type, size, and location
Supply air volume flow rates
Supply air temperature and air distribution strategy
Shading type, location, and operational strategy
Strategic placement of furniture and workstations

The final outcome is not only a comprehensive technical report demonstrating compliance with thermal comfort and indoor air quality requirements, but also an optimized and robust HVAC and office layout design, developed in close collaboration with the full design team.