REVIEW OF METHODS AND TECHNIQUES FOR THE ASSESMENT OF WINDS AT PEDESTRIAN LEVEL

K.Mohan

Abstract: Wind tunnel tests for assessing Pedestrian Level Winds (PLWs) are usually performed for existing new developments, especially tall buildings. Tall buildings can deflect high velocity upper level winds towards the ground creating high wind speeds at pedestrian level which could affect the comfort and safety of pedestrians. Auckland, Wellington and several other cities such as Tokyo, Karlsruhe, Toronto etc., insist on wind tunnel tests for tall buildings prior to granting approval. Since there is an increase in tall building activity in India, it is now being realized that they need to be assessed for favorable PLWs. With the construction of boundary layer wind tunnels in many cities around the world after the 1960s and the introduction of sophisticated probes and measurement techniques such as the erosion technique, etc., it is now possible to measure wind speeds over large areas. This paper gives an overview of the state of the art wind laboratory methods and techniques that are presently being used for assessing pedestrian level winds

Keywords: Pedestrian Discomfort, Point Methods, Area Methods, Erosion Technique

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2015.0413007