Wind Flow in an Urban Area: A Comparison of Full Scale and Model Flows

Although there has been an increasing use of wind-tunnel tests on models to examine the structure of wind around buildings, there has been surprisingly little research into the correlation between the results of such studies andthe wind pattern around the full scale structures. This report gives the results of a comparison between the wind flow about a relatively open area of the city of Liverpool, as measured by the relative exposures of twelve field anemometers, and the flow observed in a 1:500 scale model of the same area immersed in a profiled, turbulent, wind tunnel flow. The comparison is encouraging and the investigation suggests some aspects of model study techniques which require more detailed study. This final report covers one of several aspects of the problem of wind loads on structures currently being examined under the sponsorship of CIRIA.