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Cold climates produce snow drifting and sliding snow and ice issues: These issues are significant concerns for many designers and users of buildings and structures.

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  • Snow Sand Rain Overview

    The movement / suspension of particles carried by the wind, whether snow, sand or rain, can pose serious design and operational issues for designers. 

    Proper consultation in this field of aerodynamics using RWDI’s vast experience that includes fieldwork, physical model and computational study approaches can minimize the adverse effects of these issues and lead to many project benefits.

  • Benefits

    Early involvement leads to a higher performance building and increased peace of mind.  The earlier the involvement, the greater the potential for:

    • Reduced maintenance costs and effort
    • Improved functionality and accessibility
    • Reduced liability and improved safety
    • Refined structural design and potentially reduced material costs

  • Issues

    • Snow loading
    • Drifting – snow and sand
    • Falling ice and snow
    • Infiltration – snow, sand and rain
    • Rain and melt water runoff 
    • In-cloud icing

  • Resources

    Technotes