The effect of single buildings and structures

Abstract

We begin by outlining the various physical effects involved in the flow of the wind round a building, considering first uniform flow round a bluff body and then the added effects of shear and turbulence in the incident flow. Despite the complexity of the flow, some useful theoretical calculations can be made; we mention, as examples, some new results for predicting the turbulence near the upwind face of a building, and others for predicting the velocity in the building’s wake. We also point out other problems where a theoretical approach may give some insight into the flow and may, in addition, suggest further experiments. In the second half of the paper various experiments are surveyed, beginning with those on flow round models in wind tunnels. Basic experiments can elucidate the influence of shear and turbulence in the incident flow, and also the effect of shape and size of the building. In other experiments where the natural wind is simulated, the aim is to model the actual wind flows near buildings. Finally full-scale experiments are discussed, in which measurements are made of wind speeds near various buildings, and the experiment at R.A.E. Bedford will be described in detail.