State of the Art Review of Wind Tunnels and Physical Modelling to Obtain Structural Loads and Cladding Pressures

Collins, Colorado 80524, USA. Phone: [970] 498 2334, Fax: [970] 221 3124, Email: [email protected] The use of the wind tunnel as a building design tool has become much more commonplace in recent years. Its effective use requires close coordination between the architect, the structural engineer and the wind engineer, with the architect traditionally serving as project leader. Many structural engineers fi nd that the assessment of frame loads and local cladding pressures via physical modeling in the wind tunnel generates a better design with both improved confi dence and economy in the fi nal product. It is common to see cost savings in the structural and cladding design when compared to the code-based design – in effect the “money” is placed where it is needed in a site-specifi c, building-specifi c wind-tunnel study. The architect may use the same methodology, at a convenient model scale, to assess the pedestrian-wind conditions around the site, including potential adverse pressure differentials across entrances, prior to construction of the fi nal design. As project leader, the architect frequently drives the move into the wind tunnel as custodian of the client’s interest in a quality product. Recent developments in wind-tunnel technology have expanded the usefulness of data generated for the architect and structural engineer and so allows the team, which includes the wind engineer, to explore unique geometries, unusual load combinations and dynamically sensitive structures, or portions of structures. In addition, the wind engineer is being consulted more frequently at the conceptual design stage when the building shape and orientation are being defi ned. Knowledge of how the massing impacts the wind around a project can be a useful input for the architect.