Course Description

Wind is usually the dominant load on a façade — and the wind calculation is where most façade load errors are made. This comprehensive technical CPD course takes the wind load and works through the full calculation, step by step: from the building location and the national wind map, through terrain, orography, and peak velocity pressure, to the pressure zones and the net design pressure on every part of the façade surface.

You'll learn what every parameter in the chain means and why it exists — the directional, season, and altitude factors, the three UK terrain categories and the fetch that decides between them, the roughness and exposure graphs, and the two routes to peak velocity pressure. The course then covers external pressure coefficients zone by zone, internal pressure with and without a dominant opening, the sign convention that trips up real projects, funnelling between buildings, and how the net pressure becomes a force on a mullion, a bracket, or a glass panel.

Presented by Eugene Korch (façade engineer and IAST Programme Director), the course uses the base Eurocode for wind actions, EN 1991-1-4, together with the UK National Annex as the working example, and closes with a complete worked calculation for a real building — every intermediate value on screen.

Combining the full calculation chain, a worked example, and a review of the errors seen on real projects — wrong terrain boundary, forgotten altitude factor, absolute-value pressure combination — this course is designed to give you a wind load calculation you can carry out, check, and defend.

Included in Facade Intelligence Professional Membership (FI PRO)

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Understand the facade engineer's scope in wind design — local peak pressures zone by zone, as distinct from the structural engineer's overall building response

  • Read the fundamental basic wind speed from the national wind map and apply the directional, season, probability, and altitude factors correctly

  • Assign the correct UK terrain category — Sea, Country, or Town — based on the real fetch, not the administrative boundary

  • Use the displacement height in urban terrain and read the roughness factor and Town correction from the National Annex graphs

  • Check whether orography is significant and use the altitude of the upwind base when it is

  • Calculate peak velocity pressure by both routes — the full formula and the exposure factor shortcut — and know when the shortcut is not allowed

  • Divide the façade into pressure zones using the parameter e and explain why the corner zone always carries the highest suction

  • Select between the one and ten square metre pressure coefficients based on the loaded area

  • Determine internal pressure with and without a dominant opening, including temporary dominant openings during construction

  • Combine external and internal pressure with the correct sign convention and avoid the absolute-value error

What's Covered

Introduction

Scope — local peak pressures on the façade, not overall building response.
The full calculation chain at a glance.
The base Eurocode and the UK National Annex as the working example.

Starting Point: Input Data and Basic Wind Speed

Input data — dimensions, location, altitude, terrain, surroundings.
The national wind map and the fundamental basic wind speed.
The UK approach — map value before altitude correction.
Directional, season, probability, and altitude factors.
Altitude when orography is significant — the upwind base.

Terrain Roughness and the Wind Speed Profile

The three UK categories — Sea, Country, Town — and how they merge the five base categories.
Fetch, direction dependence, and the real edge of the built-up area.
The administrative boundary error.
Displacement height in urban terrain.
Reading the roughness factor and Town correction from the graphs.

Orography: Hills, Ridges, and Escarpments

Why wind accelerates over the crest.
The significance check and the decision diagram.
A worked escarpment case.

Peak Velocity Pressure

Mean wind speed, turbulence intensity, and what peak velocity pressure represents.
The full formula and the exposure factor shortcut — and when each applies.
Direction-dependent terrain and the single worst-case pressure.
Reference heights and the height strips of the windward face.

External Pressure Coefficients

Flow separation and why Zone A takes the worst suction.
Why the coefficient depends on the loaded area.
The five wall zones and the UK unified wall table.
Beyond the rectangular box — roofs, canopies, and unusual forms.
Funnelling between neighbouring buildings.

Internal Pressure Coefficients

The sign convention — pressure toward the surface is positive.
The two cases without a dominant opening.
Dominant openings — permanent and temporary, including construction stages.

Calculating Net Design Pressure

Tributary area first — it decides the coefficient and converts pressure to force.
External pressure, internal pressure, net pressure per zone.
Sealed systems versus rainscreens — which pressure the outer skin carries.
From pressure to force — line loads, point loads, and surface loads.

UK National Annex: Key Differences from the Base Eurocode

Where the UK departs — altitude factor, three terrain categories, graphs instead of formulas, unified wall table, funnelling.
What stays the same in every country — the underlying physics: pressure increases with wind speed, turbulence affects peaks, exposure depends on terrain, and local geometry drives local coefficients.

Worked Example

The complete calculation for a rectangular office building — every intermediate value on screen.
Reading the results — worst suction, worst pressure, and what each element must be checked for.

Summary, Common Errors, and Practical Advice

The complete procedure as a checklist.
Common errors from real projects — and the conservative choices that protect you.
What the wind load report must contain.
A word against false precision.

Course Schedule

    1. Course Overview

    2. Course Objectives

    3. How to Navigate the Learning Materials

    1. Introduction

    1. Lecture

    2. Post-Lecture Reading List

    1. Knowledge Check

    1. Certificate: Download & Share

About this course

  • £120.00
  • Practice test questions
  • CPD Certificate: 1.5 hrs
  • Interactive 3D models

Your Instructors

Programme Director, IAST Eugene Korch

Eugene is a façade engineer and educator with extensive experience in building envelope design and technical specification. Through the Institute for Architectural Science and Technology (IAST) and Facade Intelligence, he delivers CPD training to architects and construction professionals across the UK. His teaching approach emphasizes practical application and accessibility, making complex technical subjects understandable for design professionals.

Who Should Enrol

This course is designed for:

Architects needing to understand how wind loads on their façade designs are actually derived.
Architectural Technologists working with façade details and specifications.
Envelope Designers seeking to identify governing wind pressures early in design.
Façade Specialist Contractors requiring a working knowledge of the wind calculation their engineers produce.
Junior Façade Engineers learning to carry out and check a full wind load calculation.
Building Envelope Consultants advising clients on wind performance and specification.
Structural Engineers needing to understand what the façade engineer calculates independently and why the numbers differ from the overall building analysis.
Project Managers overseeing projects where wind assumptions drive façade cost and programme.
Cost Consultants understanding how terrain, height, and zoning decisions drive bracket, glass, and framing cost.
Design Managers coordinating façade and structural packages.

Course Details

Format: Self-paced online course with video lectures.
Available from: 27 August 2026.
Duration: Approximately 1.5 hours.
CPD Points: 1.5 hours structured CPD / 1 Learning Unit.
Access: 12 months from enrolment.
Certificate: CPD certificate issued upon completion.
Prerequisites: None — introductory level. Pairs naturally with Engineering the Envelope: Structural Load Assessment for Façades.
Materials: Downloadable resources and reference guides included.

What Makes This Course Different

A complete wind load calculation carried through from first principles to final zone pressures — nothing skipped, every parameter explained.
The base Eurocode and the UK National Annex side by side, so you know what is universal and what is national choice.
A full worked example with every intermediate value shown on screen.
Real project errors examined — the terrain boundary trap, the forgotten altitude factor, the absolute-value pressure combination.
Practical judgement throughout — which conservative simplifications the code permits and why margin is a professional safeguard, not waste.

Joining options

  • £120.00

    Free for Facade Intelligence Professional Members (FI PRO)

    Get started now

Join the Facade Intelligence Professional Membership (FI PRO)

Membership fees start from £320 per year

Gain access to all upcoming seminars and a wide range of the most sought-after short courses. Corporate discounts are available for teams of 10 or more.
For a bespoke quote, please contact our team at [email protected].
Learn More