Considered by some at IIT to be the “windiest spot on Main Campus,” the west side of IIT Tower exhibits conditions that can be attributed to an airflow pattern known as a recirculation region. Because of the building’s height, the higher-speed air above it hits the top of the structure and then funnels down toward the ground. From there, it “flows down alongside the building and then comes out and around and goes back up,” says urban airflow expert Candace Wark, IIT professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. “So you have this big recirculation region located right in front of the door you’re trying to enter.”