Wind environmental conditions in passages between buildings

Abstract

Experimental measurements have been carried out in a boundary layer wind tunnel to determine wind velocity and turbulence conditions in a passage between two rectangular buildings. The experiments were done under simulated open country terrain conditions for a wide range of wind azimuths. Geometrical parameters included the height of two buildings and the passage width. Results show that the most critical wind velocity conditions occur for buildings of different heights and at a point near the passage entrance for a wind direction skewed by 30° from the passage centre line. Turbulence conditions, however, are found more critical for wind perpendicular to the passage centre line. Also, the larger the passage width, the lower the velocity amplifications and the higher the turbulence intensities in the passage. The paper demonstrates that different K parameters for the inclusion of wind gustiness in an equivalent effective wind speed make little difference in the comfort criteria evaluation.