We launch the world’s most accurate Wind Loadings

The Tipi Company are the first tipi manufacturer in the world to use Computational Fluid Dynamics to determine their tipi’s wind loads. Where Wind Loadings are concerned, the standard throughout the temporary event structures industry (and what is used by our competitors) is “Hand Calculations”. Given the complex shapes of the tipis, it became apparent that calculating the wind loads using these Eurocodes is not simple, nor necessarily accurate. Therefore, we starting looking at the Rolls Royce version of calculating wind loadings… Computational Fluid Dynamics. This is the same technique used to design F1 racing cars and aircraft’s and is incredibly reliable and accurate. The downside? It would cost us tens of thousands of pounds to embark on the next phase of our quest for perfection. But would it be worth it? Most certainly. So we jumped right in and started a two-year journey alongside a world-class mechanical analysis and design agency to apply the highest levels of computational fluid dynamics to analysis, design and develop our teepees. 

With the weather becoming increasingly difficult throughout the UK and beyond, we believe that hand calculations aren’t sophisticated or safe enough and as a result, the Computational Fluid Dynamics are a much more detailed and reliable way of working when it comes to outdoor event structures. These CFDs now prove that our large event tipis can withstand up to 60mph winds (depending on the configuration), without the use of extra bracing devices, which is the highest in the industry – impressive! 

Download our Windloadings Inforgraphic for more information about Computational Fluid Dynamics and our Teepees.

“We’ve always set out to raise the bar on tipi design using the latest 21st century techniques. Our Windloadings that have been calculated using Computational Fluid Dynamics are another example of this. Our competitors state that their tipis can withstand up to 10 on the Beaufort scale with their hand calculations, but common sense knows that Scale 10 causes significant structural damage to a permanent structure (i.e. a building), let alone a tipi! Here at The Tipi Company we like to take a more practical approach and seeing that the hand calculations were most obviously inaccurate and unsafe, we decided to spend a lot of money investing into Computational Fluid Dynamics for our tipis – the safest way to calculate wind loadings. This means we can now offer our customers a safe, honest, and common-sense approach to wind management with their tipis, to ensure safety for both their investment and their customer base.” Gary Harthern, Managing Director of The Tipi Company (part of The Awning Company)