A core reason for developing the IBHS Research Center full-scale test facility was the development and validation of wind flow simulation capabilities.

IBHS research engineers performed a series of tests to validate wind capabilities of the facility including uniform flow tests, turbulent shear flow tests, and tests during which specific time histories obtained from real-world extra-tropical winds, thunderstorms, and hurricanes are reproduced.

The overarching goal has been to ensure that laboratory-simulated flow conditions accurately replicate both a variety of scientifically accepted standard flow conditions, and time histories of specific real-world wind events, including thunderstorm winds, extra-tropical winds, and hurricane winds.