A numerical study of wind nuisance for a high-rise building group

High-rise buildings often give rise to wind discomfort problems. First, some brief general considerations on building aerodynamics and an illustration of wind nuisance are given. Next, the numerical study is presented that was performed to examine wind conditions in the designed Silvertop Tower passages. In a first step, the numerical model (CFD) will be validated by comparison with wind tunnel measurements for a simple slab type building. After that, it is applied to evaluate wind climate in the Silvertop Tower case study. Calculations will indicate that wind comfort in the passages is highly unacceptable. Various remedial measures are suggested and discussed, most of which conflict with the envisaged architectural design. Finally, a rather unconventional solution is suggested and analysed, where sliding doors are mounted at both ends of each passage. The opening and closing of the doors will be controlled based on local wind climate.