A 5 min video on the brand-new wind impacts standard featuring interviews with a wind expert, an architect, and a planner (Sue Wood) from DELWP. Cutaways would be to 2D animations in a similar style to the Summary Video, possibly the wind engineer’s wind modelling clips, and examples of the architect’s work.

Frame Script
Frame 1 As cities become increasingly more built up, the Victorian Government is introducing new planning rules...
[Images: A 2D animation of a neighbourhood with 12 storey buildings on the main road and 5 storey apartment developments behind and dotted through the hinterland of suburban houses. Lots of people on the street, on urban stoops, and roof terraces. Use colour to show building features. ]
Frame 2 …..that ensure apartment developments do not create cold and windy streets, and that public outdoor areas are pleasant and safe spaces for people to walk and socialise.
Frame 3 The Better Apartments Design Standards now include a wind impacts standard, so that when an apartment development is five or more storeys, the design will need to minimise adverse winds affecting surrounding outdoor areas.
[Image: Apartment development which is five or more storeys animates in. Possible sound of wind ]
Frame 4 Surrounding outdoor areas include pavements, public areas, gardens or balconies on land within a radius of the development. The area to measure wind speeds around a proposed development is the assessment area; it’s a distance from the edge of the building outwards to a distance which is half the height of the building.
Frame 5 Wind speeds in the assessment area need to be either ‘safe’ or ‘comfortable,’ ensuring safe walking environments and providing sunny and welcoming public spaces.
[Images: Zoom into human scale. People are walking on the footpath, some are sitting at the café with coffee. Someone is on balcony and goes inside because of the wind (private open space need less protection as people can go inside). Sound of happy chatter. ]
Frame 31 By following these tips, new apartment developments should keep our streets and public outdoor areas pleasant and safe.
Frame 32 Engage with a wind engineer and the responsible authority early, collaborate with them on the design of the building, document the design response and engineering calculations, and submit it with your planning permit application.
Frame 6 Wind engineers, architects, building designers and planners all have a role to play in keeping Victoria liveable with safe and pleasant streets.
We speak with them about how to develop building plans to meet the new planning rules.
Frame 7 Name and job animates in: Michael Eaddy, wind engineer, MEL Consulting
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Frame 9 The reason wind is so important is that Melbourne is the 7th windiest city in the world.
Wind travels faster at higher altitudes and when these winds impact a building, the building deflects the wind towards ground level.
Wind engineers can advise architects and building designers on how to make buildings more aerodynamic and to create safer and more pleasant streets.
Frame 10 The first principle is the downwash effect and the rule of thumb is: Each building that is more than twice the height of the surrounding buildings surrounding it will alter the way the wind behaves.
In Melbourne, the prevailing north and west winds impact a building and deflect around the building and importantly downwards creating windy streets and outdoor areas.
Wind also accelerates when it goes around the corner of a building, so wind will accelerate around square edges.
Frame 11 Then there is the venturi effect between buildings.
The venturi effect occurs as our cities get denser and wind is accelerated between the buildings.
Frame 12 As a result of wind moving around buildings you get the wake effect.
The wake effect creates a relatively calm but gusty environment on the sheltered side of the building.
Frame 13 Wind engineers can advise architects and designers about the local wind conditions, provide design advice and calculate safe and comfortable wind conditions.
Remember to engage a wind engineer who has an engineering degree and is a member of Engineers Australia and the Australian Wind Engineering Society.
We will need to monitor this situation as registration requirements may change in the future.
Frame 14 Name and job animates in (Jesse Linardi, architect, DKO Architecture)
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Frame 16 The starting point is context; find the direction of the prevailing winds (usually they are from the north and west) and look at what buildings are around the site and what will mitigate the wind.
If wind is not going to be an issue, you need to explain why it is not going to be an issue. For example, if your building is no more than twice the height of the building shielding it from the prevailing wind, the design of the building does not need to address wind.
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Frame 18 You can shape the building so that the wind travels smoothly around it rather than downwards.
To do this avoid facing buildings broadly into the prevailing wind by narrowing the building to the north west.
If you can, you want to face living areas to the east, and protect the north west to minimise your exposure to winds.
Frame 19 Alternatively, you carve out the corner edges of a building so that the wind travels smoothly around the corners.
To do this avoid having vertical square corners on the building by having broken vertical edges to the building.
Frame 20 In suburban areas you tend to design podium buildings where the upper storeys of the building exposed to the wind are setback to create a podium.
If the surrounding buildings are two storeys you would set the fifth storey back and the winds will hit those upper storeys, travel down to the podium, and be deflected around the building.
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Frame 22 To create pleasant spaces between buildings, turn laneways sideways to the prevailing winds.
On larger sites, you can change the direction of laneways to avoid wind tunnels or provide wind protection at pedestrian height.
Frame 23 Look at the context of the site, and work with your wind engineer to understand the local prevailing winds and come up with the best solution to create comfortable living spaces and streets.
Frame 24 Name and job animates in (Sue Wood, Manager Development Approvals and Design, DELWP)
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Frame 26 The wind standards are brand new standards in the Victoria Planning Provisions.
So I think it will be new for most council planners, architects and building designers who have not worked in inner urban areas where standards apply in the planning schemes.
I encourage applicants to have a discussion with the responsible authority as early as possible.
The responsible authority will be able to let applicants know about built form controls that apply to the site which may affect the shape of the building.
Frame 27 Planners have a role in sharing local knowledge with applicants early in the design process.
Some planners will be able to share knowledge about how other developments in the area have addressed wind.
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Frame 29 The planning permit application will need to include several documents.
Architects and building designers should prepare an urban context report.
Typically, an application should include a desktop wind assessment, which is a letter from the wind engineer.
The wind assessment has got to be prepared by a suitably qualified wind engineer.
The wind assessment needs to verify that the wind conditions in the standard will be achieved in the outdoor areas, and include calculations demonstrating the case.
The architectural and landscape drawings should be consistent with the wind mitigation measures described in the report.
For larger developments, wind tunnel modelling may be required by the responsible authority. This involves testing a model of the development in a wind tunnel.
Frame 30 The comfort and safety of the public realm is of critical importance. Wind is a fundamental aspect that affects amenity, so it is very important that it is considered during the application process.
Frame 33 Wind engineers, architects, building designers and planners can work together to improve Victoria’s liveability.
Frame 34 Animation outro of DELWP and VIC State logos and thanks for watching!

Page last updated: 09/06/23