As part of AA Climate Week, we had the opportunity to present Kova PedSim at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. The session focused on a central question: How can socially driven pedestrian simulation support climate-conscious architectural decision-making? Rather than treating pedestrian simulation as a purely operational tool, the talk positioned Kova as a design intelligence system—one capable of revealing how human movement, density, and interaction patterns intersect with environmental performance and spatial form.
Climate-responsive architecture is often evaluated through metrics such as solar gain, shading coefficients, ventilation strategies, and embodied carbon. However, buildings and urban spaces are ultimately shaped by—and for—people. If movement patterns are misunderstood or oversimplified, environmental strategies can misalign with actual use. Kova PedSim addresses this by modeling socially driven agent-based behavior, where pedestrian motion emerges from attraction, repulsion, avoidance, grouping, and environmental awareness. This allows designers to simulate not just where people could go, but how they realistically move.
We are grateful to the AA community for the opportunity to share our work and engage in thoughtful discussion around socially responsive design. Presenting at AA Climate Week reinforced a broader ambition behind Kova PedSim: To bridge advanced computational research with architectural practice.
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