Assessment of computational fluid dynamic as a design tool for estimation of wind loads on unconventional skyscrapers in urban environment

Abstract

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) has not been widely accepted as a design tool in current wind‐resistant structural design practices due to its contentious accuracy. To promote the application of CFD in wind‐resistant structural design, the accuracy of CFD should be comprehensively validated. However, most previous validation studies were focused on isolated generic or regular‐shaped buildings. This paper evaluates the accuracy of large eddy simulation (LES) in predicting the wind loads on a 600‐m‐high supertall building with a complex appearance in a realistic urban area against wind tunnel test results. The aerodynamic characteristics obtained from the LES and the wind tunnel test are compared and analyzed in detail, including wind pressure and force coefficients, wind force spectra, base moments, and correlations of the wind loads. This study aims to assess the performance and potential as well as the strengths and weaknesses of CFD in predicting wind loads on high‐rise buildings in an urban environment and promote its application to the wind‐resistant design of skyscrapers.