Wind loading of a tall building in an urban environment:a comparison of full scale and wind tunnel tests.

Describes main features of full-scale wind load tests made on Royex House, an 18-storey office block in London. Wind tunnel tests were made on a model of the building and the results compared. Concludes that wind load on building is almost entirely on the windward wall, short duration gusts are significant in loading the building. Finds reasonably close agreement between wind tunnel and full scale tests in the matter of overall drag coefficient, but an assessment of the pressure distribution on the surface of a building requires a model with permeable walls. Pressures should be measured relative to the internal pressure inside the model, or the internal pressure should be separately measured and the differential pressures across the faces given.