Large and complex structures benefit from detailed knowledge of wind impacts regarding the
design of cladding and structural systems. In many modern structures incorporating complex
geometries and long spans, determination of cladding pressures is an important component of the
design process. For many projects, cladding studies result in economic savings as compared to
designs based on local building codes.
Cladding pressures are determined most accurately by wind tunnel testing of a physical scale model
of the study building placed among its surroundings. The model is instrumented with large numbers
of pressure measuring locations, called pressure taps. Measurements are performed simultaneously at
many locations using a high-speed scanning system sampling at a rate of 500 samples per second.
Results are obtained for winds approaching the site from the entire 360-degree azimuth at intervals
of 10-degrees.
Wind forces on roofs can be highly turbulent due to the geometry of the roof and influence of
surrounding buildings. Accurate knowledge of the local wind forces may be critical to the performance
of the roof cladding and roofing system selected to enclose the building. Furthermore, knowledge
of the wind regime over a roof is essential for design of “green” roofs which are part of growing
sustainability initiatives in the architectural community.
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