Estimation of the exposure of buildings to driving rain in Spain from daily wind and rain data

Abstract In this study, the severity of the exposure of buildings in Spain to driving rain is estimated. The annual driving rain index ( aDRI ) is determined at 80 sites spread across Spain, based on wind and rain data recorded daily over 30 years. The comparison among the driving rain indices based on daily, monthly and annual climatic data, allows assessing the existence of co-occurrence errors and errors due to averaging. This work also introduces a new reference scalar index to characterise exposure to driving rain during the wetting stages of the building facades based on daily data. Therefore, a new approach to the concept of “spell” established by the ISO 15927-3:2009 standard is proposed. The combination of the two indices provides a qualitative characterisation based on two temporal criteria, supplementing the estimated exposure level currently set by the Spanish standard for the design of buildings. A driving rain map for Spain is produced. Those sites where exposure during periods of wetting is significant are identified (the northern part of the country, the Gulf of Cadiz and specific areas of the Mediterranean coast and the Canary Islands). An important annual exposure on the north and northwest coast of the country and a slightly lower exposure in coastal areas of the Gulf of Cadiz are also identified. The Mediterranean coast and the interior regions are considered to have a low annual exposure to driving rain. Finally, the major findings of this research are reported.

[1]  Kim Robert Lisø,et al.  Climate adapted design of masonry structures , 2009 .

[2]  Jan Carmeliet,et al.  Intercomparison of wind-driven rain deposition models based on two case studies with full-scale measurements , 2011 .

[3]  C. Giarma,et al.  Estimation of building components' exposure to moisture in Greece based on wind, rainfall and other climatic data , 2011 .

[4]  P. J. García Nieto,et al.  Nonlinear thermal analysis of multi-holed lightweight concrete blocks used in external and non-habitable floors by FEM , 2011 .

[5]  Cliff I. Davidson,et al.  Erosion of limestone building surfaces caused by wind-driven rain: 1. Field measurements , 2004 .

[6]  J. Carmeliet,et al.  A review of wind-driven rain research in building science , 2004 .

[7]  B. Rudolf,et al.  World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated , 2006 .

[8]  Kim Robert Lisø,et al.  A driving rain exposure index for Norway , 2005 .

[9]  Jan Carmeliet,et al.  Comparison of calculation models for wind-driven rain deposition on building facades , 2010 .

[10]  A. Gustavsen,et al.  A look at driving rain spells at three cities in Great Britain , 2007 .

[11]  J. Carmeliet,et al.  Overview of three state-of-the-art wind-driven rain assessment models and comparison based on model theory , 2010 .

[12]  Jan Carmeliet,et al.  On the validity of the cosine projection in wind-driven rain calculations on buildings , 2006 .

[13]  Nil Sahal,et al.  Proposed approach for defining climate regions for Turkey based on annual driving rain index and heating degree-days for building envelope design , 2006 .

[14]  Clayford T. Grimm.  A Driving Rain Index for Masonry Walls , 1982 .

[15]  M. Llasat,et al.  From the concept of “Kaltlufttropfen” (cold air pool) to the cut-off low. The case of September 1971 in Spain as an example of their role in heavy rainfalls , 2007 .

[16]  Jan Carmeliet,et al.  Guidelines for the required time resolution of meteorological input data for wind-driven rain calculations on buildings , 2008 .

[17]  Jan Carmeliet,et al.  On the errors associated with the use of hourly data in wind-driven rain calculations on building facades , 2007 .

[18]  T. McMahon,et al.  Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification , 2007 .

[19]  J. G Borchelt.  Masonry: Materials, Properties, and Performance , 1982 .

[20]  P. Sauer.  An annual driven rain index for China , 1987 .

[21]  P. K. Bhargava,et al.  Estimation of driving rain index for India , 2002 .