How does a building create a wind tunnel vortex around it?

Hello,

Here in the UK we've had really strong winds today and I was mystified by what a driver had told me,

I work in a fairly big city called Leeds and our driver told me that a section of Leeds was closed off due to a building that creates a wind tunnel around itself,

The building is called Bridgewater place, and the wind around the building can be so severe people sometimes struggle to walk past it, railings had to be installed to help people hold on in high winds, its caused approx 25 car accidents, resulting in the death of a pedestrian when a lorry was blow over outside the building in 2011. see links below

en.wikipedia.org...

www.telegraph.co.uk...

Can anyone explain to me in laymans terms how this happens?

Also, surely the developers of the building should have known this was going to happen?

any ideas would be great

Minnie1985
Hello,

Here in the UK we've had really strong winds today and I was mystified by what a driver had told me,

I work in a fairly big city called Leeds and our driver told me that a section of Leeds was closed off due to a building that creates a wind tunnel around itself,

The building is called Bridgewater place, and the wind around the building can be so severe people sometimes struggle to walk past it, railings had to be installed to help people hold on in high winds, its caused approx 25 car accidents, resulting in the death of a pedestrian when a lorry was blow over outside the building in 2011. see links below

en.wikipedia.org...

www.telegraph.co.uk...

Can anyone explain to me in laymans terms how this happens?

Also, surely the developers of the building should have known this was going to happen?

any ideas would be great

I'd like to take a shot at it even if the chance of me being correct are entirely wrong. might be possible for wind to trap slower moving current and because it's moving, it can only rotate?

reply to post by Minnie1985
That's crazy! No, I'm not saying your crazy, but rather that this wind tunneling effect is.
From:
halifaxcourier 5 Jan 12

The driver of the lorry, Paul Bartle, described the incident, saying: “I was doing about 20mph, the next thing I remember is I’m on my side.”
“I floated through the air. It just carried me - it was just like a hot air balloon going up.”

This was a statement from an investigator into a death related to this wind tunnel;

After hearing evidence about the design and construction of the building, Coroner Melanie Williamson, said: “I’m concerned having heard all the evidence there may be an offence of corporate manslaughter by one or more of the organisations.

reply to post by Minnie1985


I thought it happened as a result of wind loading.

Imagine placing an object in a stream of water, you will notice that the stream of water moves around the object but the current is most powerful on the sides and where it meets in the front. I think that's what happens with wind on buildings.

I couldn't find any layman explanations online.

Here's one with a model at the bottom:

www.cardiff.ac.uk...

Here's weather channel with a low quality video:

www.weather.com...

Youtube video from Stanford:

www.youtube.com...

The easiest way I can describe it.

Take a garden hose and turn it on full. Now put your thumb over half the hole. The velocity and the force of the water increases.

It's based on Boyle's law, that relates pressure and volume for fluids. In order to maintain equilibrium when the volume is reduced the speed goes up.

The building is acting as your thumb over the garden hose. Depending on the shape of the building it can also channel this faster wind around it in varying patterns. It's part of the urban canyon effect you get in cities like New York, and Los Angeles. The wind and weather patterns are changed.

Another poster equated it to a rock in the river. That is a good analogy as well.

That's crazy! No, I'm not saying your crazy, but rather that this wind tunneling effect is.

reply to post by Guyfriday


Ha ha, that was pretty much what I said to the person that told me,

And thank you to everyone who answered, your replies helped,