Monitoring of Near Ground Wind in a Built-up Suburban Environment

Authors: NAHB Research Center Inc.    

Knowledge of the engineering characteristics of wind near to the ground, particularly below the standard anemometer height of 33 ft (10 m), is crucial to the efficient and safe design of low-rise buildings such as homes. These engineering characteristics include peak wind speed (profile), spatial and local variability, and turbulence which all contribute to the determination of risk-consistent wind loads on buildings. Of particular interest is the overall effect of shielding that will tend to reduce loads on smaller low-rise structures embedded within a dense built-up or wooded terrain environment. This interest in near ground wind monitoring also extends to the possibility of capturing valuable near ground wind data in a residential setting during a land-falling hurricane.

This report addresses the first phase of an effort to document the engineering characteristics of near-ground wind in a typical rough terrain (wooded/suburban) environment of an industrial park. The purpose is to explore the merits of considering shielding in wind design methodologies for homes and similar low-rise buildings in rough terrain environments and also to verify the representation of wind speed profiles in suburban terrain conditions.

Publication Categories: Publications     Housing Production and Technology     Natural and Man-Made Hazards