A flying roof – as shown above, at Vienna’s Praterstern – can protect passengers from wind and bad weather.
As experts for meteorology and urban climatology, Weatherpark‘s specialists were invited by The Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management to participate in the climate change adaptation strategy. This strategy is the second important base in national and international climate politics – next to the „measures to combat climate change“ – and was agreed upon by the Austrian council of ministers.
Following the first initiative in 2007, the adaptation strategy was further developed and Weatherpark provided professional input regarding the topics „Building and Living” and „The City – urban open and green spaces”.
One of the focal points was contributing to the section „Climatological improvement of urban space, considering in particular micro-/mesoclimatic conditions in city planning and open space planning”, for which the improvement of living conditions and the human and wind comfort conditions as well as a reduction of the heat island effect by urban planning were defined as objectives. To reach these goals, Weatherpark recommended among others the following course of action:
Consideration of local wind and environmental conditions during object planning and proof of improved climate conditions following object erection (microclimate simulation).
Keeping air channels and climate corridors clear and establishing more of them for use of cooler temperatures existing in the surroundings.
Compilation of registers for human comfort and wind comfort as well as for heat islands and sealing to specifically implement greening and other measures at „Hot-Spots“.
Development resp. modification of guidelines, and in particular increased use of already existing guidelines and instruments (e.g. Vienna Guidelines for high rise buildings which in turn should be based on registers for human comfort or wind comfort; or for wind comfort studies).
In-depth view on microclimate (heat island, human comfort etc.) as basis for the adequate evaluation of various different effects.
More about the adaptation strategy can be found on the Ministry’s Website (in German). The strategic framework (“Context”, in English) and the actionplan (in German) with concrete recommended actions are available as Downloads, as well.