It was the world’s first skyscraper with integrated wind turbines. But the designers of the 240‑meter-high Bahrain World Trade Center didn’t think carefully enough about the building’s ‘innovative’ design, says prof.dr.ir. Bert Blocken in the first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) given by Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). If the towers had been built exactly the other way round, it would have resulted in almost 15 percent more energy per year, Blocken shows using wind tunnel measurements and computer simulations on a model of the Bahrain WTC. The MOOC starts next Monday, 28 April. 

The incorrect design of the Bahrain World Trade Center is one of the striking results that will be discussed in the first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) by TU/e. It starts on Monday 28 April and lasts for six weeks. In this free online lecture entitled Sports & Building Aerodynamics, international students will themselves work on applying aerodynamics in buildings and sports. Blocken also promises to come up with some interesting results in the field of sports. In fact it’s quite unique for participants in an MOOC to apply the latest knowledge in a specific field. 

Bahrain WTC
The 150 million dollar Bahrain World Trade Center was completed in 2008 in the capital city Manama. The building’s two towers are linked by three bridges. A wind turbine is suspended from each of the bridges, facing the predominant wind direction. The towers are shaped like a funnel, so the wind flows between the two towers for maximum power-generation efficiency.

Design errors
At least, that was the architects’ intuitive idea. But according to Bert Blocken, professor of Building Physics at TU/e, this assumption is incorrect. “Ideas about wind flows are often based on intuition, but that leads to suboptimal designs.” Using precise wind tunnel measurements and computer simulations on a model of the Bahrain WTC, Blocken calculated that the towers would actually produce 14 percent more wind energy if they were positioned the other way round. Or better still, suspending the wind turbines further back would have given a 31% higher energy output per year, Blocken discovered. But that is no fair comparison, says the reseacher. “Because of constructive and financial reasons this option isn’t realistic.”

No exception
According to Blocken the Bahrain WTC is no exception. “Mistakes were also made in the design of the Strata Tower in London”, he says. “The turbines hardly ever turn, and when they do it’s almost impossible to work in the offices below because of all the noise.” To build projects like this better in the future, Blocken is now leading a workgroup in a large European consortium. The aim is to carry out effective research to formulate guidelines for the generation of wind energy in the built environment.

MOOC 
On this page one can apply to take part in the MOOC and see the introduction movie wind wind effects on cycling, 100 m sprint and around high buildings.