SYNOPSIS

Moving air interacts with buildings and structures in many complex ways. The field of wind engineering works to understand those interactions and to use that knowledge to improve the quality of the built environment. For example, pedestrian acceptability of footpaths, entrances, plazas, and terraces is often an important design pa-rameter of interest to building owners and design teams. Assessment of the acceptability of the pedestrian level wind environment is desirable during the project design phase so that modifications can be made, if necessary, to improve areas found to be excessively windy. Monsoonal wind events typical of this region can also drive rain sideways, thus rain ingress and egress studies at the public realm should also be taken into consideration when designing a building.

In this technical talk, the speaker discusses how wind engineering studies enhance the value of a project by working with owners, architects, engineers and consultants to identify and address wind- and airflow-related issues. The result is a more efficient design that ensures reliable and comfortable buildings within the built environment.


SPEAKER BIODATA

Mr. Max Lee has almost ten years consultancy experience in wind engineering and detailed wind tunnel testing programs. He has worked extensively on over a hundred of wind tunnel projects comprising tall buildings, super-tall skyscrapers, masterplans, sport stadia, large roof structures, long span bridges and offshore facilities throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe. Currently based in Kuala Lumpur, he has both lived and worked in the USA, Australia and the U.K. and has a global portfolio of project work.

Max obtained his Bachelor’s Degree (First Class Honour) in Aerospace Engineering from the Universiti Putra Malay-sia in 2010. He joined CPP Wind Engineering with a strong focus on the business development and project man-agement activities within the South East Asia region. He also works closely with CPP's technical specialists and assists in design, preparation and management of wind tunnel experiments.

Prior to joining CPP, Max held the role of Project Manager at another international wind engineering consulting firm, BMT Fluid Mechanics. During this time his role involved managing wind engineering projects, supporting busi-ness development activities, and supervising local engineering staff within the regional offices in New York City and Kuala Lumpur. Supported by his strong background in wind engineering, he has gained a wide range of professional experience in the field of wind effects on civil structures, structural dynamic behaviour, cladding and component pressures, pedestrian level wind comfort and safety studies as well as full-scale building measurement and moni-toring.

Max’s international wind tunnel testing experience includes projects in built environment around the world, such as in New York City, Miami, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Austin, Mexico City, London, Manchester, Leeds, Sydney, Perth, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Nanjing, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Dhaka, Bangkok, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Max is a chartered engineer in the U.K. and a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He is also a member of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Young Professionals Committee.