A numerical study of pressure coefficients distribution on high-rise buildings with balconies

Knowledge of the pressure distributions on building surfaces is essential for a complete understanding of infiltration, wind-induced ventilation and wind loads. Earlier studies have shown the influence of different façade appurtenances like balconies on the wind-induced pressure on building facades. However, a detailed investigation of the impact of facade appurtenances on the pressure distribution on building facade has not yet been performed. This is especially the case for high-rise buildings. This paper, therefore, presents a detailed study on mean wind pressure distributions on the windward façade of a high-rise building with and without façade appurtenances at wind direction of 0°. The realizable k-ɛ turbulence model in 3D steady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used for predicting. The evaluation is based on validation with wind-tunnel measurements. The results show that the presence of balconies can significantly influence the Cp distributions on the windward façade. This influence greatly depends on the size and geometry of balconies.