An analysis of wind conditions at pedestrian level in the selected types of multi-family housing developments

The following article addresses the issue of wind conditions around urban building development at pedestrian level. Factors that depend on those issues include wind comfort and air quality within urbanized spaces. The conditions specific of cities located in a temperate climate zone have been taken into account. The article is intended to identify aerodynamic phenomena characteristic of the three basic types of multi-family building development (section, linear, quarter). For each type of buildings, three different variants were considered on the basis of land use efficiency (low, medium, high) each type of buildings is characterised with. The models illustrate the patterns observed within European urban planning thought and have been developed in accordance with contemporary architectural and urban conditions, as well as with legal requirements and good practices in force in Poland. Experimental research in the wind tunnel has been conducted by means of two complementary field methods (visualization and erosion). The application of these two methods made it possible to obtain data on airflow direction layouts and on changes in airflow velocity. Subsequently, the results obtained in the study have been compared. Thus, more and less favourable geometrical layouts in respect to aerodynamic phenomena have been indicated.