Course Catalogue.

After participating in this course, you will be able to:

• develop a good understanding of how wind interacts with buildings and other structures
• make calculations of wind loads on structures and cladding for design purposes
• assess the impact of ground-level snow drifting and work out roof snow loading
• know how to use the provisions of the Canadian wind code
• find out how to reduce wind loads and ensure wind-resistant construction

Description
Wind engineering applications form an integral part of the building design process, providing architects and design engineers with a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between environmental factors and building design. A proper connotation of this interaction can provide significant cost savings to building owners. Wind engineering and building aerodynamics examine the impact of wind action on a building in terms of wind pressures.

Wind engineering studies also address concerns related to off-site impacts of new construction on existing surroundings and microclimatic impacts on pedestrian areas.

Course Outline

• Introduction to Wind Engineering
• Meteorological Aspects
• Applications / Practice
• Building Aerodynamics
• Provisions of the Canadian Wind Code
• Wind Loads on Structures
• Wind Design Case Study
• Pedestrian Winds
• Ground Level Snow Drifting and Snow Loading on Roofs
• Design Cases

Who Should Attend
Building Designers • Architects • Builders • Civil and Construction Engineers • Building Officials • Others Involved in the Design, Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Buildings and Other Structures

Required Resources:

Students will need to purchase their own copy of the latest version of the National Building Code of Canada and its Supplement • Calculator and/or Laptop

Course Syllabus

Day I

Welcome, Introduction, Course Preview, Learning Outcomes and the Assessment Method

Introduction to Wind Engineering

• Wind flows around buildings; sources of information
• Code analytical methods
• Physical model methods: Wind tunnel vs water flume
• Computational approach
• When to perform wind tunnel tests

Meteorology

• General discussion on meteorology
• Building code and local meteorology
• Wind tunnel and local meteorology
• Meteorological data used for simulation
• How wind speed data is processed for analysis and design
• Wind climatology
• Extreme wind climate

Questions and Answers

Applications / Assignments

• Case Studies, Examples

Building Aerodynamics

• Wind-building interaction
• Mean and fluctuating wind loads
• External wind pressures on building cladding elements
• Roof wind loads (pavers, etc), mullions, canopies, parapets
• Internal wind pressures
• Discussion on techniques in estimating cladding wind loads
• Important design considerations for reducing cladding loads

Day II

Provisions of the 2020 Canadian Wind Code

• Changes from the previous edition of the Code and what is coming up next
• Provision description and rationale
• Alternatives to code procedures
• What about if a particular structure is not covered in the Code?

Applications / Assignments

• Wind pressure evaluations
• Questions and Answers

Wind Loads on Structures

• Building response to wind loads
• Large span roofs
• Discussion on techniques in estimating structural wind loads: Code analytical methods, wind tunnel methods
• Wind tunnel vs. code methods
• Aeroelastic studies
• Aerodynamic stability of buildings
• Applications

Wind Design Case Study

• Participants will work out the solution (under the Instructor’s guidance)

Solution of Wind Design Case Study

• Discussion and Comments

Day III

Pedestrian Winds

• Simulation techniques
• Criteria used to assess comfort and safety
• Application to planning and designing community
• Solution techniques
• Case history examples

Ground Level Snow Drifting and Snow Loading on Roofs

• Methods used to estimate loads
• Application to codes
• How recommended loads are applied to design
• Solution techniques
• Case history and worked-out examples

Applications / Assignments

• Specific evaluations

Design Examples

• Low rise buildings
• Medium rise buildings
• Tall buildings
• Other structures
• Topographical effects

Discussion of Design Examples

Specific Items of Interest to Participants and State-of-the-Art

• How to deal with specific cases

Group Discussion
A discussion will follow on the applications of the topics presented in this Course. The participants will be divided into groups, depending on their individual interests. They will be encouraged to present from their experience scenarios for discussion.

Questions and Answers and Feedback to Participants on Achievement of Learning Outcomes