CFD simulations of stadiums, arenas and complex buildings

In large volumes smoke behaves differently from what simple formulas assume. We show it in a model of the whole building.

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Visualisation of the entrance to the Muzeum Westerplatte i Wojny 1939 pavilion, with the Monument to the Coast Defenders in the background — Muzeum Westerplatte i Wojny 1939 Gdańsk · Exhibition hall smoke control

Muzeum Westerplatte i Wojny 1939 Gdańsk · Exhibition hall smoke control

Selected buildings we have modelled

Our archive holds over 250 complex buildings. Here is a selection: stadiums, concert halls, museums, towers and logistics centres. Click a card to see what the simulation checked.

PGE Narodowy

Warsaw
Warsaw

PGE Narodowy

National stadium

Analysis
Smoke and evacuation

Tool
FDS + Pathfinder

Capacity
58,580 seats
Opened
2012
What we checked
- Smoke spread in the stadium bowl
- Temperature and visibility in the stands
- Spectator evacuation modelling
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Arne Müseler (arne-mueseler.com), CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Muzeum Westerplatte i Wojny 1939

Gdańsk
Gdańsk2025–2026

Muzeum Westerplatte i Wojny 1939

History museum

Analysis
Exhibition hall smoke control

Tool
FDS

Exhibition
approx. 3,500 m²
Client
Museum of the Second World War
What we checked
- Smoke control of exhibition halls
- Corridor smoke control
- Visibility on escape routes
Visualisation: whitemad.pl, competition visualisation by MURO Architekci et al.
Skyliner

Warsaw
Warsaw2019–2020

Skyliner

Office tower

Analysis
Lobby and car park smoke control

Tool
FDS

Height
195 m
Storeys
30
What we checked
- Smoke spread in the main lobby
- Underground car park smoke control
- Visibility on escape routes
- Acceptance hot smoke test
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Panek, CC BY-SA 4.0
Warsaw Ghetto Museum

Warsaw
Warsaw2022–2025

Warsaw Ghetto Museum

Museum (new premises)

Analysis
Lobby and stairwell smoke control

Tool
FDS

Floor area
approx. 11,500 m²
Opening
planned for 2027
What we checked
- Smoke control of the lobbies and auditorium
- Stairwell smoke control
- Visibility on escape routes
Visualisation: Concept visualisation, Autorska Pracownia Projektowa Jerzego Wowczaka / Warsaw Ghetto Museum (press material, whitemad.pl)
Hala Koszyki

Warsaw
Warsaw2018–2022

Hala Koszyki

Historic market hall, food hall and offices

Analysis
Smoke and evacuation

Tool
FDS + Pathfinder

Built
1906–1909
Floor area
approx. 22,300 m²
What we checked
- Smoke spread in the main hall
- Evacuation scenarios
- Visibility on escape routes
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0
University of Warsaw Library

Warsaw
Warsaw2021

University of Warsaw Library

University library

Analysis
Smoke control and evacuation

Tool
FDS + Pathfinder

Opened
1999
Roof garden
approx. 2 ha
What we checked
- Mechanical smoke extraction from large-volume reading rooms
- Occupant evacuation modelling
- Fire scenario
Photo: Radosław Drożdżewski (Zwiadowca21), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Filharmonia Pomorska

Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz2022–2023

Filharmonia Pomorska

Philharmonic concert hall

Analysis
Car park and stairwell smoke control

Tool
FDS

Opened
1958
Main hall
880 seats
What we checked
- Underground car park smoke control
- Chamber hall smoke control
- Stairwell smoke control
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Mariusz Guć (Nakiel), CC BY-SA 4.0
Sky Tower

Wrocław
Wrocław2020

Sky Tower

Office and retail tower

Analysis
Car park smoke control

Tool
FDS

Height
212 m
Storeys
51
What we checked
- Underground car park smoke control
- Visibility on escape routes
- Smoke ventilation performance
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA (2015 Sky Tower we Wrocławiu)
CKK Jordanki

Toruń
Toruń

CKK Jordanki

Culture and congress centre

Analysis
Car park smoke control

Tool
FDS

Opened
2015
Concert hall
882 seats
What we checked
- Underground car park smoke control
- Visibility on escape routes
- Smoke ventilation performance
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Matlin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Teatr Dramatyczny

Warsaw
Warsaw2018

Teatr Dramatyczny

Theatre in the Palace of Culture and Science

Analysis
Smoke in the auditorium

Tool
FDS

In the Palace since
1955
What we checked
- Smoke spread on the Small Stage
- Visibility in the auditorium and on escape routes
- Smoke control performance
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Marcin Białek, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hilton Hotel

Warsaw
Warsaw2021

Hilton Hotel

Hotel with conference centre

Analysis
Smoke and evacuation

Tool
FDS + Pathfinder

Rooms
314
Conference space
approx. 3,000 m²
What we checked
- Smoke spread
- Guest evacuation modelling
- Fire engineered solution (technical expertise)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Panek, CC BY-SA 4.0
Krakowskie Centrum Muzyki

Kraków
Kraków2021–2025

Krakowskie Centrum Muzyki

Concert hall (under construction)

Analysis
Foyer smoke control

Tool
FDS

Concert hall
1,000 seats
Opening
planned for 2026
What we checked
- CFD model of the building
- Smoke control of the foyer and corridors
- Visibility on escape routes
Visualisation: competition visualisation, BE DDJM Architekci, via lovekrakow.pl
Muzeum Powstania Wielkopolskiego

Poznań
Poznań2020–2024

Muzeum Powstania Wielkopolskiego

Museum (under construction)

Analysis
Lobby and stairwell smoke control

Tool
FDS

Rotunda
over 3,000 m²
Dome
30 m span
What we checked
- Lobby smoke control
- Stairwell smoke control
- 3D building model
Visualisation: WXCA studio materials
Filharmonia Krakowska

Kraków
Kraków2019–2021

Filharmonia Krakowska

Concert hall

Analysis
Smoke control and evacuation

Tool
FDS + Pathfinder

Built
1931
Main hall
693 seats
What we checked
- Smoke control
- Evacuation modelling
- Fire engineered solution (technical expertise)
- Hot smoke test
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Zygmunt Put (Zetpe0202), CC BY-SA 4.0
Koneser

Warsaw
Warsaw2021–2023

Koneser

Regeneration of a former industrial complex

Analysis
Passage smoke control

Tool
FDS

Site
approx. 5 ha
What we checked
- Smoke control of the passage and atrium
- Visibility on escape routes
- Opinion on a tenant unit's smoke vent
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL
Kazimierz Palace

Warsaw
Warsaw2022–2023

Kazimierz Palace

Historic palace, University of Warsaw rectorate

Analysis
Stairwell smoke control

Tool
FDS

Built
1637–1642
What we checked
- Smoke control of stairwells A and C
- Visibility in the stairwells
- Listed historic building
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by ЯдвигаВереск, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl
Sheraton Grand

Kraków
Kraków2021

Sheraton Grand

Hotel

Analysis
Smoke and evacuation

Tool
FDS

Opened
2004
Rooms
230
What we checked
- CFD model of the hotel
- Smoke spread
- Fire engineered solution (technical expertise)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Zygmunt Put, CC BY-SA 4.0
IKEA Franowo

Poznań
Poznań2022–2023

IKEA Franowo

Large-format store

Analysis
Smoke and evacuation

Tool
FDS + Pathfinder
What we checked
- Fire scenario
- CFD model of the sales floor
- Two evacuation variants
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Jakubtr, CC BY-SA 3.0
Chochołowskie Termy

Chochołów
Chochołów2021

Chochołowskie Termy

Thermal pool complex

Analysis
Smoke spread

Tool
FDS

Opened
2016
Pools
over 30
What we checked
- Smoke spread in the pool hall
- Visibility on escape routes
- Smoke ventilation performance
Photo: VisitMałopolska (official tourism portal of the Małopolska region)
Sybir Memorial Museum

Białystok
Białystok2019

Sybir Memorial Museum

Museum

Analysis
Lobby and exhibition smoke control

Tool
FDS

Opened
2021
What we checked
- Lobby smoke control
- Exhibition space smoke control
- Hot smoke test
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Jan Szewczyk, CC BY-SA 4.0
SGH Warsaw School of Economics

Warsaw
Warsaw2019

SGH Warsaw School of Economics

University

Analysis
Smoke spread

Tool
FDS
What we checked
- Smoke spread
- Visibility on escape routes
- Smoke ventilation performance
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Qkiel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Focus Mall

Zielona Góra
Zielona Góra2020

Focus Mall

Shopping centre

Analysis
Smoke and evacuation

Tool
FDS
What we checked
- Mall smoke control
- Evacuation modelling
- Hot smoke tests
Photo: project materials
Hala Urania

Olsztyn
Olsztyn2024

Hala Urania

Sports and entertainment arena

Analysis
Smoke and evacuation

Tool
FDS

Built
1972–1978
What we checked
- Smoke spread in the arena
- Evacuation calculations
- Visibility in the stands
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Passarge, CC0
Brama Miasta

Łódź
Łódź2020

Brama Miasta

Office complex

Analysis
Smoke in offices

Tool
FDS
What we checked
- Smoke spread in office spaces
- Visibility on escape routes
Photo: project materials
Museum in Obory

Obory, near Konstancin-Jeziorna
Obory, near Konstancin-Jeziorna2026

Museum in Obory

Art museum (design stage)

Analysis
Fire safety

Tool
FDS

Architect
Renzo Piano
What we checked
- Fire safety analysis
- Smoke spread
- Visibility on escape routes
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Jarosław Manicki, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL

What a complex building simulation shows

Each of these buildings is different, but the question is the same: will people get out before the smoke descends to the level where they are moving?

Smoke layer in large volumes: We check at what height and how quickly smoke descends beneath the roof of a hall, a stand or an atrium.
Atria and multi-storey spaces: We model smoke movement between storeys and the role of smoke curtains and make-up air.
Stages, auditoria and foyers: We model a stage fire, smoke extraction from the auditorium and the escape routes through the foyer and stairs.
Heritage buildings and alternative solutions: Where the conservation authority will not allow the standard solution, a simulation demonstrates that another one works.
CFD combined with evacuation: We compare the available safe escape time from CFD (ASET) with the required time from the evacuation simulation (RSET).

Large model, short deadline

A stadium, an arena or a shopping centre means models with millions of computational cells. We split them into meshes run in parallel on our servers, so even a large building does not hold up the project programme or other buildings in the queue.

We work in FDS and Ansys Fluent (a licence we bought with our own funds) and combine CFD with evacuation simulation. Our archive holds over 250 complex buildings.

300 multi-threaded processors in our own server room. We do not rent this capacity; it is available immediately.
In parallel we run many buildings at the same time, so a new project never waits in a queue for a free machine.
WizFDS our own software for building FDS models. It shortens the most laborious part of the simulation work.
CFD team a department trained for one task: simulation. It does not split its time across other services.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

When does a large-volume building need a CFD simulation?

When smoke control has to work in a space that simple calculation methods do not describe: an arena, an atrium, a shopping centre with malls, a stage with an auditorium. A simulation is also the basis for technical expertise and alternative (fire engineered) solutions, which in Poland are agreed with the Regional Fire Service Headquarters (KW PSP).

Do you combine CFD with evacuation simulation?

Yes. CFD shows how much time people have to get out, and the evacuation simulation how much time they need. Comparing the two is the strongest argument when the design goes for approval.

Does CFD help in heritage buildings?

Very often. In a historic building a standard smoke vent or shaft is not always possible. A simulation can demonstrate that a different solution provides a comparable level of safety.

Which software do you use?

For fire and smoke mainly FDS, for airflow and comfort analyses Ansys Fluent, and for evacuation Pathfinder. We build FDS models in our own software, WizFDS.

Other CFD simulations

Need a simulation by a specific date?

Send the plans and a description of the ventilation system. We will reply with the scope, the number of scenarios and the report date.

office@fkce.pl +48 22 740 32 32

CFD simulations of stadiums, arenas and complex buildings

Selected buildings we have modelled

PGE Narodowy

Muzeum Westerplatte i Wojny 1939

Skyliner

Warsaw Ghetto Museum

Hala Koszyki

University of Warsaw Library

Filharmonia Pomorska

Sky Tower

CKK Jordanki

Teatr Dramatyczny

Hilton Hotel

Krakowskie Centrum Muzyki

Muzeum Powstania Wielkopolskiego

Filharmonia Krakowska

Koneser

Kazimierz Palace

Sheraton Grand

IKEA Franowo

Chochołowskie Termy

Sybir Memorial Museum

SGH Warsaw School of Economics

Focus Mall

Hala Urania

Brama Miasta

Museum in Obory

What a complex building simulation shows

Large model, short deadline

Frequently asked questions

Other CFD simulations

Need a simulation by a specific date?