Diploma in Skyscraper Aerodynamics and Wind Comfort
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in skyscraper aerodynamics and pedestrian wind comfort. 8 modules covering atmospheric wind, tall-building aerodynamics, wind-induced response, occupant comfort, pedestrian wind comfort, wind study methods, and applied design codes, applying EN 1991-1-4, ISO 10137:2007 and NEN 8100:2006 with OpenFOAM, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Skyscraper Aerodynamics and Wind Comfort — studying from New Zealand
Civil engineering is one of New Zealand's largest engineering employers, driven by the need for earthquake-resilient infrastructure, roading, water and wastewater systems across a seismically active country. Major projects include Auckland's City Rail Link and Wellington's transport upgrades, with rail maintained largely by KiwiRail. Engineers work for consultancies, contractors and councils, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment administers the Building Act and related standards, while Waka Kotahi manages the national land transport network.
Fees for New Zealand: NZ$2,160 (New Zealand dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in New Zealand
Typical roles
Questions from New Zealand
What is the recognition pathway for civil and rail engineers in New Zealand?
Engineering New Zealand administers Chartered Professional Engineer registration, which is the main recognised professional standard for civil engineers. Rail is regulated through the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and the Ministry of Transport. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by a national body, so employers or the relevant body decide how much weight to give them.
Who hires civil, rail and smart city engineers in New Zealand?
Employers include city and regional councils, central government agencies, consultancies, contractors, and rail and transport operators. Smart city roles increasingly combine infrastructure knowledge with data and digital systems. Hiring usually depends on registration, experience and project records, so a private qualification is a supporting credential rather than a guaranteed entry point.
Will I need a visa, and how do fees and employer funding work?
No student visa is needed to study from home, because all programmes are 100% online and taught in English. Each programme includes an assigned technical tutor and a final project. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible. Master's programmes take 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and specialist courses 300, so check the time commitment against your workload.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Characterise atmospheric wind and its climatology at a site.
Analyse aerodynamic phenomena on tall buildings.
Calculate the dynamic response of towers to wind.
Verify occupant comfort criteria in tall buildings.
Assess pedestrian wind comfort and safety.
Select the most suitable study method between wind tunnel and CFD.
Prepare a wind study with mitigation measures.
Who it's for
- Wind engineers working on loads, response and comfort studies.
- Urban microclimate consultants advising architects and planners.
- Tall building structural designers who need to control wind response.
- CFD analysts applying simulation to the built environment.
- Façade engineers designing cladding for peak pressures.
- Urban planning technicians assessing the wind impact of new developments.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter tall building design.
What you'll work with
- EN 1991-1-4 (Eurocode 1 — wind actions)
- ISO 10137:2007 (bases for design of structures — serviceability against vibrations)
- NEN 8100:2006 (wind comfort and wind danger in the built environment)
- CTE DB SE-AE (Spanish Building Code — actions on buildings)
- ASCE/SEI 7-22 (minimum design loads)
- ASCE/SEI 49-21 (wind tunnel testing)
- ISO 6897:1984 (occupant response to low-frequency horizontal motion)
- AWES-QAM-1 (quality assurance manual for wind tunnel studies)
- OpenFOAM
- ANSYS Fluent
- SimScale
- ETABS
- WindPRO
8 modules
1.1Origin of wind and general circulation1.2Atmospheric boundary layer and velocity profiles1.3Terrain roughness and categories1.4Turbulence: intensity and integral length scales1.5Kaimal and von Kármán wind spectra1.6Wind climatology and extreme value statistics1.7Weibull distribution and wind rose1.8Thunderstorm winds, cyclones and downbursts1.9Topographic and hill effects1.10Practical: analysis of data from a weather station
2.1Flow around bluff bodies2.2Vortex shedding and the Strouhal number2.3Pressure and force coefficients2.4Shape effects: corners and setbacks2.5Interference between nearby buildings2.6Loads on façades and cladding2.7Peak pressures and extreme values2.8Aerodynamic shape optimisation2.9Corner modifications and openings2.10Case study: the shape of the Burj Khalifa
3.1Along-wind response and gust factor3.2Across-wind response due to vortices3.3Torsional response of slender towers3.4Galloping and flutter in slender structures3.5Spectral analysis method3.6Combination of modal responses3.7Structural factors according to the Eurocode3.8Influence of damping3.9Accelerations on the top floor3.10Workshop: calculating the structural factor of a tower
4.1Human perception of vibration4.2Acceleration criteria and return period4.3ISO 10137 comfort curves4.4Motion sickness and low-frequency movements4.5Residential versus office buildings4.6Measuring accelerations in real buildings4.7Mitigation through stiffness and mass4.8Tuned mass dampers in towers4.9Communication with developers and users4.10Practical: comfort verification for a skyscraper
5.1Acceleration phenomena at street level5.2Corner effect, channelling and the Venturi effect5.3Lawson, NEN 8100 and Davenport criteria5.4Pedestrian safety against gusts5.5Comfort by activity: walking, standing, terraces5.6Mitigation measures: canopies and vegetation5.7Podiums, setbacks and screens5.8Integration with outdoor thermal comfort5.9Urban microclimate and ventilation5.10Case study: plaza at the foot of an office tower
6.1Boundary layer wind tunnel testing6.2Pressure models and high-frequency force balance6.3Aeroelastic model testing6.4Irwin probes and anemometry6.5RANS CFD for pedestrian wind6.6LES for loads and transient phenomena6.7Wind tunnel-CFD cross-validation6.8Combination with climate data6.9Wind consultancy reports6.10Laboratory: CFD simulation of an urban environment
7.1Wind action in Eurocode 17.2Provisions of CTE DB SE-AE7.3ASCE 7 requirements for tall buildings7.4When to require a wind tunnel study7.5Review of wind studies7.6Façade design for peak pressures7.7Coordination with architecture and urban planning7.8Urban planning and municipal criteria7.9Wind and safety during construction7.10Case study: review of a wind tunnel report
8.1Definition of the building and surroundings8.2Analysis of the local wind climate8.3Estimation of loads and response8.4Verification of occupant comfort8.5Assessment of pedestrian comfort8.6Proposal of mitigation measures8.7Final technical report8.8Design recommendations8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, making it compatible with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent, SimScale, ETABS and WindPRO, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied on real procedures such as pedestrian comfort assessment in a plaza next to an office tower, calculation of top-floor accelerations in a residential skyscraper and analysis of peak pressures on a curtain wall façade. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final integrating project.
Standards covered: EN 1991-1-4, ISO 10137:2007, NEN 8100:2006, CTE DB SE-AE, ASCE/SEI 7-22, ASCE/SEI 49-21, ISO 6897:1984, AWES-QAM-1.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent, SimScale, ETABS and WindPRO, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the software, and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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