A new Laboratory of Environmental Aerodynamics has been opened at Krakow University of Technology (PK). It is a globally unique tool in the fight for clean air. The laboratory’s innovative, proprietary infrastructure will allow PK specialists to carry out research in the fields of wind engineering, snow engineering and environmental engineering, including urban ventilation, pollutant transport, dynamic effects on smog, air exchange and regeneration systems.

The laboratory, at the heart of which are wind tunnels, will also be used to analyse environmental and climatic impacts (such as violent winds, heavy rains or heavy snow) on structures, buildings and human safety.

It will be able to test innovative solutions for the wind energy, building materials and products markets. The new centre is also ready to take on non-standard engineering challenges. Among other things, it can be used by athletes or emergency services to train in changing weather conditions. Cooperation with the Laboratory has already been undertaken by companies, local governments and institutions, including Polish business leaders Fakro and Maspex and the Polish Ski Association.

„The Environmental Aerodynamics Laboratory is the Krakow University of Technology’s largest investment in recent years – strategic for the development of the university, our scientists and students, but also extremely important for Krakow, Małopolska and other parts of the country. The laboratory’s research capabilities will support local governments in the difficult struggle for clean air for city and regional residents,” said Professor Andrzej Szarata, Rector of the Krakow University of Technology.

The scientific and research agenda of the new laboratory includes dozens of research services concerning, among other things, urban ventilation channels. The results of the research and analyses can provide planners and designers with knowledge useful for designing new settlements or modernising existing ones or constructing new buildings.

Adrian Andrzejewski