Authors: Aleksander Pistol, Renata Klaput, Andrzej Flaga
Abstract: This paper focuses on wind tunnel model tests conducted at Wind Engineering
Laboratory of Cracow University of Technology in order to determine wind action on
construction and façades of a high-rise building located in the centre of Warsaw, Poland. The
building is 95 m tall. Wind pressure was measured at 256 points on the exterior surfaces (walls,
rooftop and terraces) for 24 different wind directions with a step of 15°. Model tests scale was
1:175. The model included subject building and its surroundings in the radius of 175 m. Pressure
coefficients determined in the tests allowed for calculation of aerodynamic forces Fx and Fy and
moments Mx, My and Mz on each storey of the building and its foundation. The investigations give
a good oversight not only of wind pressure distribution on a high-rise building located in dense
urban environment, but also of the actual influence of wind action on the cladding and the bearing
structure. Based on the tests, general instructions were released for consulting engineers and
façade designers.