Performance of building cladding in urban environments under extreme winds

摘要

When tropical storms, hurricanes, typhoons and other extreme wind events make landfall in or around urban areas, the results are often devastating and costly. Structural assessments of high-rise construction in these regions, as well as other areas impacted by extreme wind events, generally reveal satisfactory global structural performance under dynamic wind loading. However, extensive damage to cladding, especially glass, was observed in each case. The goal of this paper is to discuss the urban dilemma designers are presently facing; an overview of cladding damage from Hurricane Alicia, Hurricane Andrew, Typhoon York, and several urban area tornadoes; cladding damage mechanisms including wind pressures exceeding design values, missile impact from wind borne debris, and performance of glass; and strategies to mitigate damage from these sources.