• Forma

Microclimate analysis in Forma

Run a microclimate analysis in Forma.


Step-by-step guide

Forma’s microclimate analysis provides a way to evaluate the perceived temperature on site.

  1. With a project open, from the right panel, Analyze menu, select Microclimate.
    The Forma interface, with a project open in the canvas, and in the right panel, Analyze menu, Microclimate selected.

Combining sun, wind, and sky exposure, and numerous localized weather and climate data, the analysis creates a comprehensive microclimate map of a site, and it computes the perceived temperature.

In this example, an analysis has been run previously.

  1. Click View history.
  2. From the flyout, select the appropriate analysis.
    In the right panel, for the Microclimate analysis, the expanded View history flyout, with an analysis selected and called out.

The panel and canvas update accordingly.

  1. Expand the Month drop-down to specify a month to review.
    On the canvas, an active Microclimate analysis showing thermal comfort indices as gradients in green, and in the right panel, the month drop-down expanded, with June selected.
  1. Use the time slider to adjust the time, if necessary.

For the date and time selected, historical meteorological data is evaluated and displayed as an air temperature graph. This histogram illustrates the likelihood for a given temperature based on historically experienced values in the region, but it is also possible to select more extreme scenarios, up to 20% higher than the recorded maximum.

  1. Select one of the bars on the graph.

The canvas updates.

In the right panel, one of the bars in the Air temperature graph selected, and on the canvas, updated results for the thermal comfort indicators display in gradients of yellow and orange.

  1. Under Wind, use the interactive wind rose to select the incoming wind situation to utilize for the computation.

The frequency of occurrence for a given direction is identified by the size of the corresponding segment.

  1. Under Statistics, review the weather data.

This shows updated information about which values are employed for the selected date and time.

To view the temperatures at a specific location:

  1. Click Inspect.
  2. On the canvas, pick a point.

A tooltip appears, reporting the perceived temperature that corresponds to the selected coordinates.

  1. Pick a few more points to review more information.
    On the canvas, the Inspect button highlighted in red, and at selected points, perceived temperatures are displayed, with two close points highlighted to show a 10-degree temperature difference.

Notice in this example, there is a 10-degree difference in perceived temperature between two points located very close to one another.