Fa?ade Meteorology & Climatology
Directors Note?
I tabled the idea of a fa?ade meteorological and environmental division in early 2019. The department would have a charter to answer challenging scientific questions that are not covered by harmonised guidance. The core focus was to; document fa?ade materials physical behaviour in our atmosphere, have the ability to profile specific current regional climates but also project forward, and accurately account for environmental and atmospheric systems which inform genuine resilience design. I had to wait 3 more years until I met Tom.
Since Tom has joined us, the following occur on an almost weekly basis for me; I notice staff becoming more considered in their approach to fa?ade application with the support of climate profiling, which is great as this was the goal. But I also get asked almost weekly “So what does a fa?ade meteorologist and climatologist actually do?” from peers, evidently, I’ve not advertised this well at all. So, in order to answer this question Tom agreed to do an interview style Q&A that covered some of the typical questions we get, so over to Tom.
What exactly does being a fa?ade meteorologist and climate consultant entail and how does it differ from a traditional meteorologist.
By definition, a meteorologist is a person who specialises in the study of the Earth's atmosphere and its phenomena with a primary focus on weather and climate. In My role as a Fa?ade Meteorologist and Climate Consultant, I use all the same tools as a typical meteorologist; employing various observational and computational techniques, collecting, analysing and interpreting meteorological data to make accurate forecasts, assess weather patterns, and understand atmospheric processes. I apply these tools within the fa?ade engineering discipline to better account for material application with supporting evidence.
My background in urban climates and environmental science opens up the dialogue on the effects and implications of atmospheric interactions and composition on building material types over time and vice versa.??
Climate change is a topic of great concern. As a fa?ade meteorologist, how do you help people understand the complexities of climate change in a more accessible way?
Weather and climate are dynamic and complex topics. We are bombarded by vast amounts of information daily, whether it be social media, mainstream news and general weather reports which can be challenging to grasp. The key aspect of my role as a fa?ade meteorologist is to break down these complex topics which encompass the Earth's systems and processes such as severe weather and atmospheric phenomena into more accessible forms of information that can be used more readily for informing building design.
A tool I make common use of is Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This visually illustrates complex topics such as pollution index maps to understand areas in which facades may suffer from the primary effects of pollution. We also highlight the secondary effects like extreme soiling and high risk of chemical and atmospheric degradation of different material types, which is often not reported within fa?ade design.
In conjunction with meteorological data, you can assimilate data to provide key indicators on when and where a building's fa?ade is most likely to experience weathering duress and when is best to clean them. ?One of the frustrations I share is the throwaway line in almost every Fa?ade Access & Maintenance strategy "facade to be cleaned bi-annually". Parking the often-misunderstood interpretation of bi-annual to one side, the issue is, when?
When and for which type of material is ultimately far more important for the preservation of buildings. With predicted wetter winters and dryer summers in the UK, there needs to be an adjustment in when buildings are cleaned, as the atmosphere is behaving very differently from the more memorably defined four seasons from 20 - 30 years ago. Additionally key decisions and guidance should also be included that inform owners and facilities managers for more extreme weather such as snow. The example here would be not to simply rely on the Building's Operational & Maintenance manuals prescribed schedule but to immediately, where practically possible, removed/clear snow that is typically swept to building sides as pavements are cleared. This is especially damaging to our brick stock structures.
We have established an approach which joins up engineering between the materials we use and the atmosphere we exist in; after all, our buildings sit in the atmosphere and whilst reliance on wind loading calculations are fundamental to safety, they do not provide complete context to resilience design.?
We often hear conflicting reports about extreme weather events. How does your expertise as a fa?ade meteorologist help people distinguish between natural variability and the influence of climate change.
One of the key factors I have experienced is a common misuse of nomenclature with regard to correctly defining or describing accurate weather phenomenon.
What I typically find when reviewing defect reports and their causation is a myriad of weather descriptions for the same event. The issue with this is that it undermines the validity of the analysis. There is a fundamental difference between torrential, heavy and moderate rain, which we have seen all used as adjectives within a single paragraph by others in reports.
Although the adjectives for rain in this example aid in describing the event qualitatively, they unfortunately all mean different things in regard to their intensity. Upon review of this situation using quantitative data, the precipitation that occurred for that example was actually in line with baseline conditions which were to be expected for that time of year and region. The building was not subjected to a 'more intense' period which was previously highlighted, therefore the waterproofing defect could not withstand baseline weather conditions for the UK, let alone more intense conditions. This ultimately misled the clients appreciation of the severity of the issue.
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This issue is something that I see frequently and I do have a follow up article relating to this topic in mind to help others consider weather events more accurately. Just as the fa?ade industry adheres to codes and standards, so do environmental science, meteorology and climatology. The misuse of language is a fundamental issue, which could lead to inadmissible reporting.
As a fa?ade meteorologist what are some innovative strategies or technologies that you employ to predict or mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events?
The first piece of work I was tasked with when I joined was to help set-up the charter and governance around the division, this now exists for clients as Fortis Biome.
Additionally, we have developed internal systems to monitor predicted weather events that can negatively impact construction sites. I’m pleased to say that this will shortly become automated for site teams to hopefully help protect assets. I will provide specific details on its launch.
We also offer the ability to show clients and the teams we collaborate with, what atmospheric conditions and content could be expected. This offers genuine resilience design options which tie in well for BREEAM, LEED and BNG criteria.
From my perspective we need to create a culture of accountability at every scale. We need to deviate from 'greenwashing' and 'greenlighting' and start identifying key issues within the sector and focus on the primary concerns.
What advice would you give to others within the industry who are interested in integrating the study of meteorology with the design of buildings?
The best advice that I could impart to people in the fa?ade industry to become more informed about the climate and the world around them, is to simply understand the fundamentals. When you start to understand and appreciate the outside world, you begin to understand that everything is connected.
For example, in the context of historic buildings, ask yourself the question, where is this building in the world? What has it been exposed to? How did it get like this? Has the fa?ade design contributed to its condition?
Whereas for future developments, what are the key atmospheric/climatic systems that exist in this region (both temporally and spatially). Furthermore, which materials are most appropriate in regard to their physical properties, not only in the immediate present but also in the next 100 years. For me, it is not only about the immediate remediation but also the legacy, the long-term implications of urban design on future climates and the effects of long-term weather and climate on urban infrastructure
Closing Note
I get to work on very cool concepts and experiments the practice collaboratively design. We’ve been working on the following investigations which I will share details of in the future:
Another aspect I’m enjoying as a bi-product of our work is the genuine willingness from architects, developers and contractors to embrace the field and have offered their thanks, as the process of openly sharing the information has been reported as positively influencing other businesses technical capabilities. This makes it worthwhile.
Lastly, I feel there’s a gap in our knowledgebase, which is only widening with climate change; we can’t keep designing the way we have previously when the planet’s systems are migrating so rapidly. If we are to make claims that we are truthfully designing with the future in mind, we will require better research and defined fa?ade consultancy. Meteorology and climatology becoming part of the wider syllabus of the discipline, would only serve to support more accurate decision making. By doing this, we will only get better students and practitioners of environmental considerations, or at least, better forecasters of our unbuilt or reimagined existing structures.?