CFD analysis of the impact of geometrical characteristics of building balconies on near-façade wind flow and surface pressure

Xing Zheng*, Hamid Montazeri, Bert Blocken

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

53 Citations (Scopus)
4 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The presence of building balconies can significantly modify the near-façade wind flow pattern and surface pressures. The present study evaluates the impact of building balcony geometry on mean wind speed on balcony spaces and wind-induced mean surface pressure for generic high-rise buildings. The focus is on balconies that extend along the entire width of the building façade. Large-eddy simulations (LES), validated with wind tunnel experiments, are conducted to investigate the impact of (i) balconies present or not, (ii) balcony depth, (iii) balcony parapet walls, (iv) balcony partition walls, and (v) density of balconies. The results indicate that the balcony geometry can greatly affect the mean wind speed on balcony spaces and the local and façade-averaged mean pressure coefficient (Cp). The presence of balconies can increase the façade-averaged Cp over the windward and leeward façades by 5.2% and 8.9%, respectively. These numbers rise to 23.5% and 23.3% when two partition walls are added at the lateral edges of the façades. Adding five partition walls can reduce the overall area-averaged wind speed on balcony spaces by 68.0% compared to the case without partition walls. These findings can be useful in developing, designing and constructing buildings with façade geometrical details that improve building ventilation, air quality and wind comfort.

Original languageEnglish
Article number107904
JournalBuilding and Environment
Volume200
Early online date21 Apr 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2021

Keywords

  • Balcony geometry
  • Façade geometrical details
  • High-rise building
  • Large-eddy simulation (LES)
  • Pressure coefficient
  • Wind speed

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Building and Construction

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