Complete Simulations From Sidewalk to Seat

Everything that humans create is designed to interact with, or be monitored by, other humans. This means that our individual perception of an experience is the most influential factor in decision making. If an experience is negative, we will tend to remember it more vividly. The pedestrian experience does not currently carry enough weight in modern architectural designs, and we intend to change that.

– Cameron Dargahi, Associate Consultant, Pedestrian Circulation

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Lerch Bates Pedestrian Circulation? Lerch Bates Pedestrian Circulation is a division that analyzes space utilization by studying users, journeys, and operations within a facility. Dynamic simulation models are created to visualize the user experience that our client envisions for the space to optimize Building Flow.

How does Lerch Bates Pedestrian Circulation differ from other groups? Our methodology involves empirical studies of the local population, including physically measuring queueing, waiting, travelling times, and levels of crowding in onsite studies. Our simulator approximates real people by focusing on sight-based navigation. We utilize our observations in such a way that we can help our clients make informed decisions with the best data available.

What if my design is only a concept? Pedestrian Circulation can simulate any space, new concept or existing building. Our dynamic models predict how changes to the design impact the user experience, space utilization, and efficiency of operations. Each simulation is backed by real world observations of similar demographics and facilities.

Can only buildings be studied? We can examine any space in which people move. That space could be a building, an open space, or a combination of the two. Our flow studies can certainly be applied to building lobbies, but it doesn’t end there, we can study everything from a simple park to a stadium complex. Our unique offering is also a perfect application for transit hubs and airports.

What about vertical motion, how do you handle that? Lerch Bates is known for Vertical Transportation (VT) Consulting. We utilize the 70+ years of VT knowledge to integrate elevator and escalator flow analysis into Pedestrian Circulation Simulations. Our capabilities with VT do not stop there, we can integrate proper VT utilization into any study.

What type of deliverables should we expect? The outputs from our system can be modified to examine any specific point in the pedestrian flow process. Our deliverables provide heat maps, flow counters, wait time, etc., as an incorporated component into each of our reports and videos. These reports are tailored to our clients’ needs, such as written reports, presentations, and simulation videos.

Is there a limit on the size of facility that we can simulate? There is no limit on the size or number of people that we can simulate all at once. If an entire stadium and surrounding area needs to be modeled, we can help show the complete flows from the sidewalk to seat, and everything between.

How long does a study take to complete? A simple VT validation can take as little as two weeks to see results. The bigger the study, the longer it will take to develop. Once we have completed the simulation model, making minor changes and running additional studies takes a fraction of the time, at a fraction of the development cost. In some cases, we can watch the outcome of a change in real time during a workshop.