City-Scale Typhoon Hazard Analysis and Field Monitoring of Wind Effects on Skyscrapers during Super Typhoon Mangkhut

Abstract

Because of the growing vulnerability of coastal regions to tropical cyclone (TC), or typhoon and hurricane, hazards under climate variability, a thorough knowledge of TC wind characteristics and wind effects on high-rise buildings is highly desired for efficient TC risk mitigation in coastal cities. This paper presents a city-scale typhoon hazard assessment and field monitoring study of wind effects on skyscrapers in a coastal metropolis (Shenzhen, China) during the record-breaking Super Typhoon Mangkhut. Spatiotemporal variation of wind fields over the metropolis was investigated using synchronous wind observations from a network of weather stations and a 356-m-high meteorological tower. Typhoon hazard in the coastal city was assessed through the typhoon hazard map obtained by numerical simulations and validated by wind observations. Wind-induced vibrations and time-varying structural dynamic properties of two representative skyscrapers with heights of 600 and 392 m in Shenzhen were analyzed to determine the dynamic performance and serviceability of the monitored high-rise buildings under violent wind excitations. This integrated city-scale field monitoring and numerical study furthers the understanding of TC wind characteristics in the urban environment, and facilitates the wind-resistant design of future skyscrapers in TC-prone regions.