People movement

People are at the heart of our design process. SMART Space is our specialist circulation modelling service which helps maximise the utilisation of spaces to deliver efficient places where people feel comfortable and secure but are also able to achieve bottom line results for clients operating in commercial environments. We use modelling to assess the interaction of people with buildings, processes, and environments. This provides an evidence based approach with powerful results – to assess performance of designs and operations so they can be optimised.

Space is a rare commodity today. Maximising what we have is crucial to success and longevity. The benefits of our work can be far reaching and range from improving human productivity and contributing to wellbeing to achieving cost savings, maximising revenues and minimising operational management. Places are nothing without people and people are nothing without places: our work seeks to integrate the relationship between the two.

We use sophisticated simulation tools e.g. SMART Move – our in-house software, and commercial tools like Legion, Exodus, and CAST. With realtime simulation capability our BIM-integrated tool SMART Move can help optimise the spaces and processes during early stage design optioneering as well as operational planning stages.

We develop new technologies to deliver efficient solutions for the built environment. Our SMART Sensor and SMART Counter tools utilise image processing and bluetooth sensing to capture data on how buildings are used by people. SMART Move simulates future scenarios with new designs and/or new processes to optimise design and operational decisions.

We offer the following services:

  • Crowd flow simulations
  • Pedestrian planning 
  • Site wide and city-wide modelling
  • Process and logistics modelling
  • Transport and parking strategies
  • Way finding and accessibility
  • Crowd-traffic interactions
  • Risk assessments / optioneering 
  • Emergency evacuation

Related disciplines

  • Asset management

    Buildings are built for people. They’re built to be used, lived in, worked in. What building occupants don’t want to be too concerned with is the management and maintenance of their facilities. Our Asset Management team specialise in providing the processes and to keep your building running smoothly, with the least possible interference.

  • Fire engineering

    Fire engineering is a vital aspect of any building design process. Preventing the spread of fire and ensuring the reliability suppression systems is only part of this necessity. Modeling the behavior of fire and smoke in enclosed spaces is the other.

  • Inclusive design

    Inclusive design at Buro Happold isn’t just about satisfying the requirements of government legislation. We do that anyway, of course, but it goes a lot further. It’s about understanding people; their needs, concerns, and what they really want from a building.

  • IT communications & control

    Technology is everywhere. Without it modern business just wouldn’t work, and the same is true for our buildings. Without IT they just wouldn’t work. It’s that simple. What isn’t as straight forward, however, is making sure that your building has the internal infrastructure to facilitate technology.

  • People movement

    Free uncongested movement of people within built and urban spaces is not only an issue of safety and security, but also of comfort and visitor experience. The building and urban circulation design and management have a direct impact on the visitor experience.

  • Safe & secure

    Safety and security is of paramount importance in the built environment. There’s no point having a building if its occupants aren’t safe. Buro Happold’s Safe and Secure team work to ensure your facility has a sustainably safe environment for its users.

Buro Happold

Blog

In celebration of Eid al-Adha

25/10/2012

The 25th October is the first day of Eid al-Adha in most of the Middle East. It occurs about 70 days after the end of Ramadan and is a very...

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Buro Happold

News

New addition to SMART team

12/09/2012

David Greenwood joins world renowned SMART Solutions team

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Buro Happold

Project

Haramain High Speed Rail

20/12/2011

Stretching between Mecca and Medinah via Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City, the brand new 460km long Haramain High Speed Rail project is a bold step towards a truly connected Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our team have designed the four main stations, combining efficiency and aestethics into landmarks for the cities they are serving.

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Buro Happold

News

Buro Happold computational design expert to speak at BIM Show Live

21/10/2011

Dr Shrikant Sharma to talk about advanced applications of BIM for integrated modelling Dr Shrikant Sharma, computational design expert at international multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Buro Happold is to share...

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Buro Happold

Project

Thomas Deacon Academy

05/05/2011

Thomas Deacon is the UK’s largest academy, with 2,200 students from three pre-existing schools. The project brief called for the design to ‘promote the specialist science and mathematics nature of the academy and the concept of...

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Buro Happold

Project

Central Stadium for Winter Olympics 2014

19/04/2011

Developing a truly successful stadium design involves meeting a number of goals beyond simply creating a first class sporting arena. The list of additional demands for the main stadium for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics...

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Buro Happold

Project

University of Exeter Forum

19/04/2011

Designed around the theme of assembly and open debate, the Forum is a central part of the University of Exeter’s campus. The Forum Project saw several structures built or refurbished and enclosed under a stunning gridshell roof. As well as unifying these buildings and hosting a dramatic new reception, the roof shelters a range of state of the art teaching and discussion spaces.

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Buro Happold

News

Happy landings: keeping people moving in safety and comfort

17/02/2009

Buro Happold provides people-flow solutions at London City Airport Free, uncongested flow within public buildings is both an issue of safety and security, and of comfort and visitor experience. Nowhere is this...

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Key contact

Buro Happold Shrikant

Shrikant Sharma

Associate Director

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