The Politecnico di Milano Wind Tunnel turns 25

It has put suspension bridges, skyscrapers, wind turbines, next-generation aircraft and athletes’ aerodynamic performance to the test. The Politecnico di Milano Wind Tunnel turns 25 and looks back on a quarter-century of research and innovation into the interaction between wind, structures and people.

Operational since 2001, the Wind Tunnel is one of the Politecnico di Milano’s Large Research Infrastructures. Here, experimentation, analytical modelling and numerical simulation are integrated to improve the ability to predict the aerodynamic behaviour of buildings, infrastructure, means of transport and energy technologies. Over 25 years, it has hosted more than 700 projects and over 40,000 visitors.

Studying wind means anticipating its effects before a structure is built. In the large boundary layer section, scale models of buildings, bridges, roofs and urban settings are exposed to flows that reproduce different atmospheric conditions. Measurements make it possible to assess pressures, forces and vibrations, verify structural response and identify possible critical issues as early as the design stage.

This work has supported international projects and some of Milan’s major urban transformations over the years: most recently, tests on rigid and aeroelastic models of CityWave, used for the aerodynamic design of the roof and the sizing of the damping system.

The same experimental approach makes it possible to address the challenges of the energy transition and future mobility. The open jet configuration enables the study of helicopter rotors and propulsion systems for eVTOLs, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Experimental data are used to assess performance, pressure distributions and flow behaviour, and to validate numerical models before production and certification.

In the field of renewable energy, the Wind Tunnel makes it possible to study the behaviour of a single wind turbine or assess interaction effects among multiple machines in a wind farm. In particular, large turbines designed for floating offshore installations have been studied using a robotic platform that reproduces the induced movements. The Wind Tunnel is also used for the aerodynamic testing of solar tracking photovoltaic systems.

For over ten years, the expertise developed in the Wind Tunnel has also been applied to sport. In high-speed disciplines, aerodynamic drag often represents a significant obstacle to forward motion: reducing it can lead to a measurable improvement in performance. The low turbulence section can accommodate athletes together with the equipment used in competition.

A dedicated test setup measures forces and moments along the three axes as wind speed varies, while a camera system records each test. Data and images are provided in real time, allowing athletes, coaches and researchers to compare different postures and configurations and to assess even minimal changes in position.

Testing has involved cycling, running, skiing, speed skating, luge and ski jumping. Among the athletes who have used the Wind Tunnel is the Italian national track cycling team, which refined the final aerodynamic details there ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“The coming years will see the Wind Tunnel engaged in the technological challenges that will shape the entire world of scientific research. We will need to be able to engage with new perspectives, including those linked to the use of Artificial Intelligence, without losing our ability to remain closely connected to real-world problems and to provide engineering solutions to both the scientific community and industry,” says Sara Muggiasca, Scientific Director of the Politecnico di Milano Wind Tunnel.

The anniversary

The Wind Tunnel’s 25th anniversary will be celebrated on Friday, 9 October 2026, from 3:00 p.m., at its premises at Via La Masa 34 in Milan.

The programme includes the talk “Science in support of sustainability: from aerial micromobility to wind energy and wind engineering, for more informed design”, moderated by Gianpiero Kesten.

Speakers will include Giovanni Droandi, Director of Flight Sciences at Archer Aviation; Marco Righi, Managing Partner at HB – Holzner & Bertagnolli Engineering; Edoardo Dellarole, Joint Strategic Commercial Initiatives at Eni and President of the Scientific Committee at OMC Med Energy; Giovanni Bordogna, Co-Founder, CEO and R&D Lead at Blue Wasp Marine; and Laura Serri, Research Group Leader at RSE SpA.

This will be followed by a session dedicated to the laboratory’s history and future and a tour of the facility.

FACT SHEET – One of Europe’s largest laboratories

The Wind Tunnel is a vertically arranged closed-circuit facility with two test sections located on opposite sides of the circuit. This configuration makes it possible to move from high-speed aeronautical testing to atmospheric wind studies applied to buildings, bridges, the environment and energy.

The flow is generated by 14 fans, arranged in two rows of seven, each 1.8 metres in diameter and with a power rating of 100 kilowatts, for a total power output of 1.4 megawatts. The speed of each fan can be controlled independently.

The low turbulence section measures 4 metres wide, 3.84 metres high and 6 metres long. The wind can reach a maximum speed of 55 metres per second, equivalent to approximately 200 kilometres per hour, while maintaining a turbulence level below 0.1% under standard conditions.

By inserting a grid at the inlet, turbulence can be increased to 6%. The test section can also be removed from the circuit to conduct tests in an open jet configuration. Two interchangeable sections make it possible to prepare a new experiment while the facility is still in operation.

The large boundary layer section measures 13.84 metres wide, 3.84 metres high and 35 metres long. It is designed for wind engineering studies on scale models of buildings, bridges and other civil structures. The maximum speed is 16 metres per second, and the turbulence intensity under uniform-flow conditions is approximately 2%.

Turbulence generators and roughness elements positioned upstream of the model make it possible to reproduce different terrain and atmospheric boundary layer conditions, achieving turbulence levels of 35% and above. The models are placed on a rotating platform 13 metres in diameter, which makes it possible to change the wind angle of incidence.