Wind microclimate assessments reflect the wind conditions, which would appear due to the introduction of a new development into an existing area. The main purposes of the wind microclimate assessments are for pre-planning massing optimisation and/or planning application of new developments. Another application would be for designing and assessing mitigation measures for proposed or existing developments with the occurrence of adverse wind conditions in the post-construction stage or during the exploitation.

In wind microclimate assessments, the amount of time in which a certain area will experience wind speeds beyond the critical values for pedestrian safety and stability is forecasted. Also, certain exceeded threshold values would be predicted, associated with typical pedestrian activities such as walking, waiting at bus stops, sitting within a café or restaurant zones. These assessments show whether wind conditions are suitable or unsuitable and whether design adjustments or mitigation measures are required in the various parts of a proposed new development and the neighbouring properties.

The LDDC Lawson Criteria, City of London, or Well Certification Criteria are used within company practice. These criteria use a single percentage probability of exceedance of a range of wind speeds and different types of usage, which offers a practical approach for the assessment of wind comfort and safety under different site configurations/schemes. This way, any adverse/beneficial impact of the proposed development can be outlined and assessed with varying mitigation measures. With current coding capabilities, SoftSim can easily implement other wind comfort assessment criteria to meet client requirements.