Design Features to Change and/or Ameliorate Pedestrian Wind Conditions

A windy environment around the base of a building, particularly near a main entrance or plaza area, will detract from the appeal of the site and perhaps discourage clients and shoppers from visiting the area. Many examples exist of unsuccessful outdoor restaurants and cafes in a windy environment at the base of tall buildings (Cochran, 1979). Similarly, an outdoor pedestrian space, such as a recreational pool area (Figure 1) of a residential condominium, should be protected from strong, mean winds. Thus, there is a direct financial motivation to ameliorate the wind environment if it is going to adversely influence the appeal of a building to the owners and customers of that building. In the extreme case a site may be dangerous, particularly to the infirm. Penwarden and Wise (1975) discuss the case of two elderly women who were killed when a gust of wind at the base of a tall building blew them over. Whilst this is not a common event, potential litigation is a design parameter that should be considered.