Distribution of wind- and temperature-induced pressure differences across the walls of a twenty-storey compartmentalised building

Abstract An experimental investigation has been made of the distribution of pressure differences across the walls of a 20-storey student residence building at the University of Ottawa. The wind velocity at the test building as well as the temperature distributions both inside and outside the building were measured simultaneously. While pressure differences are caused by all three of the factors investigated, namely the temperature gradient (stack effect), the wind and the mechanical ventilation system installed in the building, the first two effects are predominant for this particular building during the winter season. The stack effect is found to be linearly proportional to the difference of the reciprocal outside and inside (absolute) temperatures, and varies almost linearly with height. The neutral pressure level occurs at a height of ∼40 m, or 70% of the height of the building. The wind-induced pressure difference under relatively strong wind shows a good conformity with previous knowledge for typical bluff sections such as a rectangular prism.