In 2021, Manchester Metropolitan University commissioned the project "Ventilation System Design for a Large Academic building and construction" to address a defined challenge in the building and construction sector. The assignment combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with a decision-focused engineering study. Its purpose was to explain the governing physical behaviour, identify the variables controlling performance, and convert the findings into practical recommendations for design, operation and future development.

The ventilation system within the Birley Field Academic building and construction (now Brooks building and construction) at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) was designed and modelled using state-of-the-art computational facilities. The aim was to reduce the energy consumption by improving the natural ventilation throughout the building and construction using innovative designs. Our team carried out a number of detailed CFD simulations of the air flow for different atrium designs and scenarios which included different seasons and different occupancies, etc. This project involved a meticulous design of three different atria at different elevations, built to face the prevailing south-westerly wind in Manchester. Environmental Impact Assessment of this building and construction was also evaluated using wind microclimate analysis.

The methodology centred on a whole-building CFD model linking natural ventilation, atrium airflow and external wind effects. The representation retained the academic building, multiple atria at different elevations, openings, occupied zones and the surrounding context influencing wind-driven ventilation. Boundary and operating conditions covered seasonal weather, prevailing winds, different occupancies and alternative atrium or opening configurations, with material, fluid and equipment properties assigned from the available design information. Resolution was concentrated in regions where steep velocity, thermal, concentration or phase gradients were expected, while the overall model remained efficient enough to compare several credible configurations. This balance allowed system-level performance to be linked to the local mechanisms responsible for it.

The assessment compared atrium design, opening strategy and the balance between natural and assisted ventilation. Performance was judged using air-change effectiveness, flow paths, temperature and comfort, ventilation of occupied areas, pressure differences and external wind-microclimate effects. Results were reviewed through quantitative summaries and engineering visualisations, such as contours, vectors, streamlines, sections and time histories, selected to suit the physics. Important assumptions and operating uncertainties were considered so that the recommendations relied on repeatable comparative trends rather than a single nominal case.

For Manchester Metropolitan University, the principal value was a lower-energy ventilation concept and clear evidence for the building and environmental design teams. The final evidence linked each recommendation to the relevant model or process output, making it suitable for internal design reviews, supplier or contractor discussions and, where applicable, planning, safety or regulatory dialogue. The work also created a reusable baseline that can be updated as geometry, operating data or test results become available, reducing the cost and risk of later design iterations.

A disciplined quality-control workflow supported the analysis. Geometry, units, mass and energy balances, boundary-condition consistency and solver convergence were checked before options were ranked. Mesh or parameter sensitivities were used where they were most likely to affect the engineering conclusion, and limitations were documented explicitly. This ensured that the study remained traceable and reproducible rather than relying on isolated simulation images.