Wind-Borne Debris Impacts on Façades
Performance-Based Design to Enhance Building Envelope Resilience
Presented on October 9, 2024 at Facade Tectonics 2024 World Congress
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Overview
Abstract
Climate change effects are causing an increase in extreme wind events’ frequency and severity, worldwide. Regions that previously were not prone to these extreme weather conditions, are increasingly searching for ways to strengthen urban resilience. In windstorm events, wind-borne debris is one of the major causes of building envelope damage. Wind-borne debris causes 40% of property damage in extreme wind events, being the major cause of façade damage during windstorms. Façades serve as the main defense for people and property from the external environment.
In the last 50 years, code and standard requirements have been created to provide wind-borne debris impact protection for the building envelope. International standards use standardized projectiles that are not always representative of local environments and objects that are recorded to fail and fly in windstorms.
An alternative performance-based design framework is presented, to identify case-specific impact test requirements, to mitigate the effects of wind-borne debris in extreme wind events. This performance-based approach aims to be used to verify the wind-borne debris resistance of façades. Building aerodynamics, the trajectory, and the velocity of specific debris elements are considered to deploy performance-based façade solutions.
A case study is presented to discuss how to identify case-specific façade impact test requirements. Typical roofing elements that are typically recorded to fail and fly during windstorms are analyzed through a flight trajectory analysis. Roof shingles are the debris elements considered in the case-study. The reference target building, the object of the design for this case study, is an essential facility, to avoid disruption of essential services, especially in the post-event scenario.
If new buildings and façade retrofit projects can improve their resilience to wind-borne debris impacts, there can be a notable mitigation of the overall consequences of extreme wind events. Adopting performance-based design impact tests, building envelope solutions can sustainably address local needs to improve urban resilience.
Authors
Angela Mejorin, Ph.D., Researcher
Researcher
Western University
amejorin@gmail.com
Keywords
Paper content
INTRODUCTION
The evidence of climate change and its consequential increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is well-documented (IPCC 2022; Munich RE 2022). This trend is reflected
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