Wind flow patterns around a test cell in a sheltered location: wind tunnel visualisation.

The aim of this research was to investigate the flow pattern around a test room which is used for natural ventilation studies. The test cell effectively represents an in-fill development of a low-rise building located adjacent to high-rise buildings. When considering natural ventilation in a building in such a location it is beneficial to understand the local wind flow patterns resulting from the impact of the surrounding buildings on the prevailing wind conditions. This paper describes wind tunnel trials undertaken to visualise the resultant local wind pattern around the test cell for all prevailing wind directions, discusses the findings and compares the local data with the prevailing wind measured at a nearby weather station.