Effects of building lift-up design on the wind environment for pedestrians

Qian Xia, Xiaoping Liu, Jianlei Niu, Kenny C. S. Kwok

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Low airflow or poor outdoor ventilation around building blocks can negatively influence pollutant dispersion in the surroundings and indoor air quality, and increase the risks of airborne transmission of infectious diseases. However, there have been few studies addressing the wind environment, thermal comfort and other concerns at the pedestrian level. Buildings with a lift-up design may have a number of impacts on the pedestrian-level wind and thermal environments. Three building configurations that resulted in the lowest wind speed zones were identified from a previous study. A 3.5 m high open ground floor was added to each of the three configurations, and scale models of the three designs were studied in a wind tunnel to assess their influences on airflow and ventilation around the buildings. Undesirable areas of low wind speed leading to poor air ventilation and, on the other side of extreme, areas of discomfort due to strong wind conditions were both identified, and their practical implications are discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1214-1231
Number of pages18
JournalIndoor and Built Environment
Volume26
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Keywords

  • buildings
  • design
  • pedestrial level
  • ventilation
  • winds

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