Wind tunnel studies of a pedestrian-level wind environment in a street canyon between a high-rise building with a podium and low-level attached houses

Abstract

The pedestrian-level wind environment quality in street canyons formed by high-rise buildings and other low-level buildings could be affected by multiple factors, such as the height and geometry of the surrounding buildings, street width, wind direction, and wind speed. This study conducted wind tunnel experiments to determine the characteristics of the pedestrian-level wind environment in street canyons under different conditions, including different street widths, podium heights, and approaching wind directions. The experimental results revealed that the effects of the street canyon width on the pedestrian-level wind in a street canyon can be categorized into three different flow regimes. A higher podium creates stronger wind speeds of the flow within the street canyon, and different approaching wind directions change the high-wind-speed zone within the street canyon accordingly.