• Wind and Structures
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.213-227
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• 2022

The design of a building is a complex process that encompasses different fields: one of the most relevant is nowadays the energetic one, which has led to the introduction of new typologies of building envelopes. Among them, the Permeable Double Skin Façades (PDSF) are capable to reduce the solar impact and so to improve the energetic performances of the building. However, the aerodynamic characterization of a building with a PDSF is still little investigated in the current literature. The present paper proposes an experimental study to highlight the modifications induced by the outer porous façade in the aerodynamics of a building. A dedicated wind tunnel study is conducted on a rigid model of a prismatic high-rise building, where different façade configurations are tested. Specifically, the single-layer façade is compared to two PDSFs, the former realized with perforated metal and the latter with expanded metal. Outcomes of the tests allow estimating the cladding loads for all the configurations, quantifying the shielding effects ascribable to the porous layers that are translated in a significant reduction of the design pressure that could be up to 50%. Moreover, the impact of the PDSFs on the vortex shedding is investigated, suggesting the capability of the façade to suppress the generation of synchronised vortices and so mitigate the structural response of the building.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.495-510
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• 2007

Wind pressure data have been collected on the tiled roof of a full-scale test house at Silsoe in the UK. The tiled roof was of conventional UK construction with a batten-space and bitumen-felt underlay beneath the interlocking concrete tiles. Pressures were monitored on the outer surface of selected tiles, at several locations within the batten-space, and beneath the underlay. Data were collected both with and without ventilator tiles installed on the roof. Little information appears to exist on the share of wind load between tiles and underlays which creates uncertainty in the design of both components. The present study has found that for the critical design case of maximum uplifts it would be appropriate to assign 85% of the net roof load to the tiles and 15% to the underlay when an internal pressure coefficient of -0.3 is used, and to assign 60% to the tiles and 50% to the underlay when an internal pressure coefficient of +0.2 is assumed (an element of design conservatism is inherent in the apparent 110% net loading indicated by the latter pair of percentage values). These findings indicate that compared with loads implied by BS 6399-2, UK design loads for underlay are currently conservative by 25% whilst tile loads are unconservative by around 20% in ridge and general regions and by around 45% in edge regions on average over roof slopes of $15^{\circ}-60^{\circ}$.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.133-160
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• 2016

Hurricanes are among the most costly natural hazards to impact buildings in coastal regions. Building roofs are designed using the wind load provisions of building codes and standards and, in the case of large buildings, wind tunnel tests. Wind permeable roof claddings like roof pavers are not well dealt with in many existing building codes and standards. The objective of this paper is to develop simple guidance in code format for design of loose-laid roof pavers. Large-scale experiments were performed to investigate the wind loading on concrete roof pavers on the flat roof of a low-rise building in Wall of Wind, a large-scale hurricane testing facility at Florida International University. They included wind blow-off tests and pressure measurements on the top and bottom surfaces of pavers. Based on the experimental results simplified guidelines are developed for design of loose-laid roof pavers against wind uplift. The guidelines are formatted so that use can be made of the existing information in codes and standards such as American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) 7-10 standard's pressure coefficients for components and cladding. The effects of the pavers' edge-gap to spacer height ratio and parapet height to building height ratio are included in the guidelines as adjustment factors.