Analysis of Wind Conditions Around a Building Development as a Part of Its Form Designing Process, a Case Study

Abstract

The need to ensure healthy and comfortable environmental conditions for city residents is one of the assumptions that define the concept of sustainable urban development. Factors, such as feeling the temperature, air movement, air smell or humidity, contribute to the quality in use of urban space and, indirectly, also the buildings themselves. Modern cities, especially the largest cities, face problems of air pollution, insufficient air exchange rate and overheating, all of which appear in built-up areas. Among the factors causing such a situation, a high concentration of buildings and hardened surfaces in cities may be mentioned. Solar energy is accumulated through building walls and surfaces, whereas the release of solar energy is impeded by the wind velocity slowdown, a characteristic phenomenon in case of cities, which is estimated at 20-30% in relation to air movement in city outskirt areas [1]. In spite of the slowdown mentioned, varied wind phenomena in a relatively small area, such as turbulence and rapid airflow acceleration and air stagnation may occur around buildings simultaneously. The dependence of these phenomena on the shape of buildings and the distance between them is clearly visible and proven [2,3,4]. Within the scope of environmental wind engineering, knowledge is developed which deals with the issues of wind comfort for pedestrians and of the possibilities for ventilating urban spaces.

Morphology of Building Development as an Element of Urban Ventialtion System

“…However, this parameter is not sufficient to describe the compactness feature. The extent to which urban interiors, i.e., streets, squares, or courtyards inside the quarters, are built up continuously, i.e., the extent of their enclosure and openness to the wind flow (e.g., through gates, gaps between buildings) is crucial as well [2,3,9]. The closure or openness of urban interiors to air can also be regulated by the building development height, namely by equating or differentiating it [3].…”

“…However, a strong connection between urban aerodynamics and spatial planning is still lacking. Still, this relationship should provide the key factor for the city ventilation strategy [2]. The following paper discusses building development as a factor that can be applied in such strategies.…”

Wind Conditions at Pedestrian Level in Different Types of Residential Urban Development for a High Degree of Land Use Efficiency

“…In Poland, for instance, wind issues are only considered in relation to the requirements for the design of high-rise buildings and buildings within the city ventilation corridors. Meanwhile, in large cities subject to constant structure densification, most erected building developments fail to be designed with wind phenomena in mind [23][24][25]. Yet, such buildings exert a genuine impact on wind phenomena.…”