The Romanian Association for Wind Engineering (ARIV) was initially established as a professional group in May 1988 at CIV ’98 Conference (the first wind engineering conference in Romania), under the presidency of Professor Constantin Iamandi. However, the association was officially incorporated as a legal entity in 2017.

Wind Engineering is a significant field of professional interest in Romania. We benefit from a long tradition, starting from the pioneering work of Traian Vuia and Henri Coandă in the aeronautical engineering to more recent decades of research on topics such as wind effects on buildings and structures as well as wind energy and snow drift research studies.

Significant figures from the construction field, former students of the old School of Roads and Bridges from Bucharest honored our field. Cristea Mateescu, member of the Romanian Academy, conducted the first measurements in a wind tunnel, (1965) whereas the academician Aurel Beleș focused his research on the study of wind effects on structures. Dan Ghiocel and Dan Lungu wrote one of the first books on wind effects on structures based on probability (1975). In 2001 Dan Lungu, as a member of JCSS (Joint Committee on Structural Safety) and in collaboration with Rüdiger Rackwitz, elaborated the chapter related to Wind Loads of the JCSS Probabilistic Model Code (2001). The pioneering work in the construction field was also developed by the professors such as Mircea Cretu, Horea Sandi, Traian Popp, Petre Augustin and Ramiro Sofronie who focused on studies related to the static and dynamic analysis of wind and snow-loads as well as laboratory testing.

Professionals all around the world have encouraged and supported wind engineering research groups in Romania ever since it was firstly established. Dr. Emil Simiu (National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA) delivered in 1997 and 2015 keynote lectures on cutting edge research topics at Technical University of Civil Engineering. Dr. Simiu also awarded research scholarships for young researchers from UTCB. Professor Giovanni Solari has collaborated with Professor Dan Lungu and wind engineering professionals in Romania and Italy on studies related to the behavior of the Endless Column of Constantin Brancusi which lead to the preservation of the original structure of the column and essential results on the column’s aerodynamics.The contribution of Dr. Taiki Saito (Building Research Institute of Japan) for the vibration monitoring of the Column is highly acknowledged.

Professor Horia Hangan delivered in 2015 at the World Renewable Energy Congress XIV, held at Bucharest, a keynote lecture about new laboratory and full-scale wind energy experiments. A memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) was signed between WindEEE Research Institute form the University of Western Ontario, Canada, and The Aerodynamics and Wind Engineering Laboratory (LAIV) from the Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest, Romania.

An important scientific support along the years was offered by Professor Dan Frangopol (Lehigh University, USA) and Professor Mircea Grigoriu (Cornell University, USA). Numerous other contacts between the Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (UTCB) and universities from abroad were established such as Universität Stuttgart – Professor H.C.H. Kobus, Universität Karlsruhe – Professor E. Naudscher, Institute National Polytechnique de Grénoble Professor J.L. Kueny, City University of London, Wind Engineering Laboratory – Professor D.M. Sykes and Universita degli Studi di Genova – Professor G. Solari. We must mention the excellent cooperation with Université de Montréal, Mc Gill University M.T.L., Concordia University M.T.L. Professor T. Stathopoulos and South Ontario University London, Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory – Professor A. Davenport and Professor N. Isymov, Professor Horia Hangan from Western University Canada, Dr. Emil Simiu from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the USA. From the University of Iowa, Professor V. Patel and R. Ettema, Cold Region Research and Engineering Laboratory, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers – Professor J.C. Tatinclaux University of Iowa, Ames-Professor J. Iversen and Colorodo University Fort Collins – Professor J. Cermak, Professor J. Peterka are also to be mentioned.
All these collaborations contributed essentially to the development of Wind Engineering field in Romania and are highly acknowledged.

ARIV promotes research and development in various fields related to wind engineering. The areas of interest of our organization include topics such as bluff body aerodynamics, wind loads on buildings and structures, wind tunnel testing and full-scale measurements, computational fluid dynamics, atmospheric dispersion of pollutants, sand and snow-drift, wind energy, urban planning, climate changes effects and so on.

ARIV benefits from the excellent research infrastructure of Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (UTCB).
In the 70’s, The Aerodynamics and Wind Engineering Laboratory (LAIV) is formed at UTCB. Constantin Iamandi and Lucian Sandu build the first wind tunnel form UTCB (TALIV1). It was a closed-circuit wind tunnel with a short guided experimental vein and constant velocity profile. Mircea Degeratu performed the calibration of the wind tunnel. Several experiments were performed on static response and aeroelastic models.

In the 80’s, an open vein, open circuit wind tunnel was built by Mircea Degeratu and Radu Damian in order to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of ducted wind turbines. In order to determine the performances of the wind tunnel confuser, a scale model was built. Afterwards, to the model was added an asymmetric guided experimental vein, the result being a wind tunnel with expansion step (TASLTE).

In 1990’s, TASL1 (1.8 m x 1.8 m cross-section) and TASL2 (1.2 m x 1.2 m cross section) boundary layer wind tunnels were built under the supervision of prof. Constantin Iamandi. Andrei Mugur Georgescu and Liviu Hașegan calibrated the wind tunnels and performed the first experiments related to wind action on static response building models and snow drift using these, then, new research infrastructures. Static and aeroelastic models of some of the tallest buildings in Bucharest were tested here (Dorobanți Hotel, Bucharest Tower Center International, Eurotower etc.).

In 2015, after a two-year rehabilitation program, conducted by Anton Anton, the TASL1 wind tunnel was refurbished, and now it represents the main tool for wind engineering research at LAIV-UTCB. A variable roughness system was added, replacing the “classic” roughness made from common bricks and state of the art measurement equipment was purchased, and now, at LAIV complex wind engineering tests may be performed.

Excellent national and international cooperation between the Wind Tunnel Laboratory and various partners was developed during the past years. It is worth to mention the cooperation with Politechnica University of Bucharest – Professor Petre Augustin, Technical University “Gheorghe Asachi”- Professors R. Negoiță, A. Radu and N. Țăranu, and D. Pantazopol, N. Cămărășescu, D. Varduca, I. Săvulescu and Cătălin Nae from National Institute for Aerospace Research “Elie Carafoli” Bucharest.

The Structural Engineering Laboratory – developed in the framework of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Technical Cooperation Project on Reduction of Seismic Risk for Buildings and Structures at UTCB are essential for wind engineering research and development as well. The vibration monitoring and associated signal processing can be performed using available tools acquired inside the JICA project.

Wind Engineering as well as support courses such as Structural Dynamics, Structural Safety, Fluid Mechanics, Fluid Dynamics and so on were introduced at the Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest from early 50’s.

Numerous books, research papers and contracts, as well as reports listed in the Publication section of the website were issued by ARIV members.
Over the years the ARIV members were the authors of wind and snow loads design codes in Romania.

ARIV is a IAWE member willing to constantly promote the international cooperation as an essential ingredient for growth and progress.