Aerodynamic Mitigation and Shape Optimization of Buildings: Review

Usually the design of the external shape and orientation of buildings is driven by architectural considerations, functional requirements and site limitations, rather than by aerodynamic considerations. This, most of the times, results in structures becoming bluff bodies characterized by high wind-structure interaction induced loads. These effects can be significantly reduced through novel aerodynamic mitigation techniques and optimal aerodynamic shape design procedures. This paper reviews the past/recent work on various aerodynamic mitigation techniques developed for reducing wind loads on buildings by modifying their shapes and/or adding simple architectural elements. Aerodynamic mitigation techniques applicable to low-rise and high-rise buildings have been reviewed. In addition, aerodynamic shape optimization techniques for reducing wind loads on tall buildings are presented and the suitability and challenges of using Computational Fluids Dynamics (CFD) for this application are discussed. An overview of the optimization techniques namely gradient based methods and non-gradient based methods are presented. It is expected that this research can ignite an interest in using aerodynamic shapes and consideration of the structures’ shape, in terms of wind performance, early in the design process. This paper also serves as a source for various techniques that can be used for reducing wind loads on buildings.