Innovation

Pressure distribution in façade systems

How does the wind affect a partially open façade? Blitta, TNO and consulting and engineering firm DHV joined forces to find out more. 

High-rise developments are more and more taken for granted in the Netherlands. By the end of 2010 Blitta had realised the façade for the highest residential building in the Netherlands, the ‘New Orleans’ building in Rotterdam, which rises up to 160 metres. The more high-rise developments, the more important it is to increase one's know-how about the effects of wind on the façade.

It is exactly why Blitta joined forces with TNO (the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) and consulting and engineering firm DHV to examine pressure distribution and air flows in open façade systems. The investigation also includes a number of experiments using computer models. The assumption is that these models will be a good alternative to wind tunnel tests and can sometimes provide even more information, for instance on air flows within the cavity. These can hardly be measured using scale models. As natural stone exterior façades become more and more in vogue, know-how of the wind load inside the cavity is getting increasingly important. The ‘New Orleans’ building, with natural stone plates for a façade, is an ideal object for research.

The findings will enable Blitta to provide an even more accurate design and realisation of façade systems for high-rise buildings. This does not only benefit safety, but reduces costs as well. Expectations are that the extra know-how will allow the use of lighter-weight façades.