Integration of Wind Turbines in the Built Form and Environment

In response to various international agreements and national initiatives towards tackling climate change researchers, architects and engineers continue to investigate the possibilities of reducing reliance on grid supplied energy to integrate micro-generated power from renewable resources including in-situ integrated wind turbines in buildings. This paper reviews existing research on the integration of wind turbines within the built environment. Three distinct strands of research, which represent the main three stages for integrating wind turbines in the built environment, are identified and reviewed: the first strand reviews types of integrating wind turbines within the built environment, this involves the role of the form of the building in harnessing wind power. The second strand is related to assessing wind flow within the built environment using different tools such as mathematical models, in situ measurements, wind tunnel tests, and CFD simulation software. The third strand assesses the feasibility of integrating wind turbines within the built environment in terms of environmental, economic and social aspects. Research across these strands presents key issues that challenge the design team when considering the integration of wind turbines in the built environment. The potential of integrating wind turbines in the built environment and manipulating building form to harness wind power is a multidisciplinary team work that requires involvement of architects and their consultants at an early stage. However, this paper argues for the need to widen the impact assessment of integrating wind turbines in the built environment to more than its economic, environmental and technical impacts to include their social acceptance.