Obtaining the Wind Force Coefficients on Non-conventional Buildings

Abstract

The progress in construction techniques, together with the present command of structural behaviour and the architectural advances in the design of outstanding buildings, have made it possible to erect increasingly complex buildings with unusual geometry. Eurocode 1, part 1-4 (EN 1991-1-4:20051) defines the equivalent static wind force as the product of the basic wind velocity pressure, the square of the risk factor, the exposure factor, the force coefficient and the area exposed to the wind. Determining accurately the force coefficient is the most difficult task when the geometry of the building is not directly covered by the most common geometrical shapes tabulated by the different codes or standards. This article focuses on the different methods to obtain the force coefficients for a case study, the Hotel Vela in Barcelona, applying the simplified parameters tabulated in the standards, with a scale-model wind tunnel test, and with wind action computer modelling based on particle models, a very recently developed alternative approach that delivers highly accurate force coefficients as well as maximum pressure and suction on structures.