Criterion for Wind Environment Assessment with Consideration to the Effect of Turbulence

Turbulence affects the human perception of wind, the wind-induced damage to buildings, the values of wind speeds measured by 3-cup anemometers, and so on. The wind environment assessment criterion proposed by the Wind Engineering Institute Co., Ltd. is based on the relationship between the mean wind speeds measured by 3-cup anemometers and the condition of surrounding terrain. This criterion does not consider the influence of turbulence. Considering the significant urbanization of large cities and the change in anemometers used for wind speed measurements, a new criterion of wind environment assessment that considers the effect of turbulence is required. The present study discusses such a criterion based on a wind tunnel experiment, the observation at various locations, and a questionnaire survey on the wind environment that was conducted with for the residents and pedestrians in Tokyo.