Wind around tall buildings

Tall buildings can deflect high-level wind down towards the ground, producing unpleasant and sometimes dangerous winds in adjoining pedestrian areas. Architects, planners and developers must aim to provide safe and comfortable conditions in open-air pedestrian areas; they should, therefore, understand how the wind flows around buildings and how to control it by good design.

This Digest describes the process of wind flow around tall buildings, shows how to decide at an early design stage whether a building is likely to give a satisfactory environment, and suggests measures which can be taken to achieve good conditions.