tall-buildings
tall-buildings
tall-buildings
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PEDESTRIAN REALM | TALL BUILDING DESIGN GUIDELINES<br />
4.3 PEDESTRIAN LEVEL WIND EFFECTS<br />
Locate, orient, and design <strong>tall</strong> <strong>buildings</strong> to promote air circulation<br />
and natural ventilation, yet minimize adverse wind conditions on<br />
adjacent streets, parks and open space, at building entrances, and<br />
in public and private outdoor amenity areas.<br />
Figure 1: Strong pedestrian level wind makes street-level conditions uncomfortable and in<br />
some cases hazardous.<br />
Figure 2: Wind testing (Engineering input by RWDI)<br />
RATIONALE<br />
CITY OF TORONTO<br />
MAY 2013<br />
The design and placement of <strong>tall</strong> <strong>buildings</strong> to capture natural<br />
breezes and air flow can benefit energy efficiency and indoor<br />
air quality. Adequate air circulation at-grade, especially during<br />
the summer months, is important to flush away street-level<br />
pollutants and improve air quality for pedestrians and cyclists.<br />
While air circulation around <strong>tall</strong> <strong>buildings</strong> is important, down<br />
drafts from <strong>buildings</strong> or accelerated winds from tunnelling<br />
between <strong>buildings</strong> can negatively affect pedestrian-level comfort<br />
and even become hazardous. In general, the <strong>tall</strong>er the building,<br />
the stronger the potential for wind effects at the base and the<br />
greater the need for mitigation measures.<br />
Adverse wind conditions can be mitigated through the siting,<br />
massing, orientation and articulation of the base and the tower.<br />
The use of stepbacks at the tower base is a particularly useful<br />
strategy to dissipate down drafts. Architectural devices, such<br />
as projecting cornices, screens, terraces, overhangs, and<br />
permanent canopies can also be applied to reduce the effects<br />
of high speed wind around the base building and within rooftop<br />
amenity areas.<br />
The placement of permanent site features such as walls,<br />
berms, and landscaping can also help mitigate wind impacts<br />
by reducing speed or creating sheltered areas for seating or<br />
standing.<br />
Predicting the influence of <strong>tall</strong> <strong>buildings</strong> on local wind flow<br />
patterns and street-level conditions is a complex task best<br />
established through wind tunnel testing of a scale model. At<br />
a preliminary planning stage, however, the basic aerodynamic<br />
issues illustrated in the schematic diagrams provided on the<br />
following page can be applied to inform the initial design.<br />
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