The effects of a double-skin façade on the cladding pressure around a tall building

Cladding damage of tall buildings often occurs during hurricane events, and the damage is not only costly but also impacts the economy, and more importantly, threatens lives. One solution to reduce the cladding pressure is the application of modified double-skin facade (DSF) which is already of great interest to architects due to improving building energy efficiency. This paper investigates the effects on the cladding pressures of a building fitted with a DSF with vertical openings in the external skin mounted in front of the windward face of the building. The effects of the vertical openings on the building's surface pressure were investigated by conducting pressure measurements in the wind tunnel. The associated flow mechanisms were revealed by using particle image velocimetry technique. The DSF without opening increases both the mean suctions and fluctuating pressures on both side and leeward faces, and hence this common façade configuration leads to an undesirable effect on building claddings under strong winds. In contrast, the DSF with the opening(s) can effectively reduce wind pressures on the side and leeward faces. Therefore, creating vertical openings on the external skin of DSF is a practical approach to enhance the wind-resistance performance of building claddings.