Wind Effects on Buildings and their Codification

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The applicant's research in the area of wind effects on buildings and their codification has been influential in the development of wind standards and building codes of practice not only in Canada but also in other countries. The proposal for this discovery grant intends to continue or initiate experimental and computational research in the following areas:- Wind pressure loads on buildings of different plan view shapes such as L-shape, T-shape, trapezoidal and the like. Cladding, secondary and primary structural system loads, with particular emphasis on torsion, will be evaluated and presented in a simplified form suitable for incorporation in design standards and codes of practice. A detailed innovative methodology has been proposed for this study.- Wind pressures on solar panels located on building roofs or on the ground.Rows or arrays of solar panels are used extensively on building roofs or on the ground but wind loads on them are not known due to the difficulties in their evaluation. In fact, there is a large discrepancy in the results of previous studies. It is thus critical to establish realistic loads for solar panel design and incorporate them in wind design standards and codes of practice for the benefit of all building design professionals.- Effects of topography and upstream exposure characterization on wind loads on buildings.Characterization of an exposure based on upstream terrain roughness and different topographies is a weak link in the wind loading chain because of the great variety of configurations including all non-homogeneous (transition/interruption) cases.- Wind pressures on buildings under the influence of non-synoptic winds such as downdrafts, tornadoes and the like.Recent wind-induced damages were caused by severe weather extreme events such as local strong downdrafts or tornadoes and other non-stationary winds. It is therefore proposed to study the effects of such wind systems on the loading function of buildings and investigate the possibility that different wind pressures may be recommended by the wind standards and codes of practice for these cases.All experiments will take place in the Concordia University's atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel, which is unique in the province of Quebec.The research outcome of the applicant's research program will be useful to the profession (structural design professionals, practicing engineers and architects) either directly (through specific design guidelines) or indirectly (through provisions in wind standards and building codes of practice) and to other researchers in the field.