Building Perforation Design: The Impact of Geometrical Features on the Local Wind Environment

Abstract

Building geometrical features have a significant effect on the local wind environment. The presented study investigated the impact of building perforation design geometrical features on mean wind speed around the vicinity of the building and the indoor environment for generic midrise buildings. The study focused on purpose-built perforation designs for wind permeability in naturally ventilated buildings. A lattice Boltzmann method simulation was conducted to evaluate the impact of perforation profile and draft angle. The influence of wind conditions such as wind speed and wind direction was taken into account in the study. The results indicated that the geometrical features of the perforation design can significantly affect the mean wind speed around the building vicinity and inside the building. The surrounding mean wind speed showed 6.75% and 7.25% differences from the baseline model for square and circular perforation profiles, respectively. The change in the perforation profile draft angle led to a 6.2% change in the mean wind speed. The major wind speed changes occurred in the indoor space. This finding can be used when selecting and designing building perforations for better natural ventilation performance, air quality, and wind comfort.