As wind turbines grow taller and heavier, foundation design becomes a growing challenge, both technically and economically. Traditional methods rely on fixed assumptions and limited design iterations, often leading to conservative solutions that fail to maximize efficiency or sustainability.

At Windbase, we’re rethinking this approach.

Our data-driven methodology shifts foundation design from reactive problem-solving to proactive optimization. Instead of designing to a predefined spec, we evaluate millions of potential design variants upfront—using advanced simulations, geotechnical insights, and real project constraints.

This approach enables:

• Faster and smarter decision-making through interactive dashboards
• Deep integration of geotechnical and structural simulations
• Improved material efficiency and reduced carbon footprint
• Greater project confidence through quantified risk management

The computational advantage

Rather than designing a single solution based on fixed requirements, Windbase’s data-driven methodology explores a vast space of design possibilities. By integrating geotechnical simulations, structural analysis, and site-specific conditions, we evaluate millions of foundation design variants—all before detailed engineering begins.

This enables us to select the most promising solutions based on a balance of performance, cost, and sustainability, while gaining deep insights into which parameters truly govern design outcomes.

Defining the parameter space

Every project begins by defining a tailored parameter space—the range of design inputs we want to explore. This might include, for example:

• Foundation diameters between 18 and 25 meters
• Pile counts ranging from 20 to 40
• Variations in pile types, soil conditions, or foundation depths

By covering a broad yet realistic design scope, we ensure that viable options aren’t overlooked and reduce the need for subsequent design revisions.

Advanced Simulation and Analysis

Millions of foundation design variants are pre-evaluated across key criteria: geotechnical performance, structural behavior, cost efficiency, and environmental impact. Structural performance is assessed using 2.5D linear finite element models, offering detailed insights into how foundations respond under varying load conditions. These results are combined with outputs from geotechnical design tools to evaluate pile capacity, ensuring that each design meets both structural and soil-specific performance requirements.

While our standard 3D non-linear FEA design method offers material savings and high quality insight into foundation performance, its long simulation time (~48 hours per model) limits its use in early-stage data driven exploration. That’s why our current research focuses on building AI-based meta-models—machine-learning surrogates trained on 3d FEA simulations. These will allow us to incorporate 3D-level insights into the early design phase at scale.

From static reports to interactive collaboration and decision-making

Instead of reviewing static design reports after the fact, our clients and engineering teams work together in real-time interactive dashboards (built in Power BI). These dashboards allow users to:

• Explore all viable foundation solutions
• Visually compare trade-offs between cost, carbon footprint, and performance
• Instantly see how design changes affect outcomes

This interactive approach turns reviews into collaborative design sessions—faster, clearer, and more impactful.

Real-World Benefits in Project Applications

Data-driven design is already proving its value across different project types:

• Tender phases: Enables more competitive bids by integrating turbine-specific foundation costs and reducing uncertainty
• Smaller wind farms: Supports early-stage decisions with quantifiable trade-offs between cost, risk, and sustainability
• Large-scale projects: Facilitates grouping of locations into clusters of similar foundation solutions, without compromising insight in site-specific optimization potential

By combining human expertise with computational power, data-driven design delivers more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable foundation solutions while enhancing collaborative decision-making processes.

Want to know more? Read all about it by checking out the poster and watching the presentation by Chris van der Ploeg: