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Old Posted Oct 16, 2014, 3:07 PM
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City planner wants to stop wind tunnels created by some skyscrapers

City planner wants to stop wind tunnels created by some skyscrapers


October 15, 2014

By Minna Rhee

Read More: http://globalnews.ca/news/1616454/ci...6a78875f401bf0

Quote:
TORONTO – The city’s chief planner is all too aware about the wind gusts that have been created in isolated spots across the city because of the city’s tall condo buildings. And she says in the coming months, the city will be taking steps to stop the wind tunnels.

- “We’ll be introducing, likely within the next 12 months, specific development permit bylaws in specific areas within the city,” Jennifer Keesmaat, the city’s chief planner said. “[The winds are] a result of the built form, that’s absolutely true. This is a condition that we’ve created unfortunately.”

- When the wind hits a tall building it can be pushed down towards the sidewalk where it swirls around and creates wind tunnels throughout Toronto. It’s called the Venturi Effect or Downwash. --- “As these buildings get higher, this vortex effect – as you have wind shedding off the sides of the buildings, create small little vortices that will have an influence at the ground level,” Dr. Paul Walsh, a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Ryerson, said.

- It’s no secret that the city is building taller buildings, but at what cost? Toronto’s rapidly rising neighbourhoods are having a direct impact on the comfort of Torontonians. --- “More and more we’re becoming like Chicago, the windy city,” David Clarkson, the manager of Kit Kat Italian Bar & Grill on King Street said. --- He said menus, chairs and glasses have been blown off of tables in recent years. The only reason they don’t blow into the streets is because they’re being weighed down by heavy plates.

- Global News used a wind-measuring device called a anemometer to measure wind speeds in downtown Toronto and clocked gusts between 30-45 km/hr at the southwest corner of the 55-story Four Seasons Hotel. Wind speeds of less than 5 kilometres and hour were measured just north of that same building. --- But not all tall buildings create wind tunnels. On dozens of buildings downtown, the tall portion is inset from the road considerably. The lower portion, often five to six storeys in height, is called a podium. It acts as a windbreaker – sending the downward gusts spiralling back up again.

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Old Posted Oct 16, 2014, 6:07 PM
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These wind tunnels are fantastic during the summer months in the South, does a great job to keep pedestrians cool. Obviously not such a good thing in Canada.
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Old Posted Nov 3, 2014, 2:05 PM
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I like this. I expecially like that a sollution is mentioned in the article itself. I like skyscrapers and I don't like the way some designs pull the winds down to street level. A city that actively tries to make sure that new buildings have design elements that minimize that wind is a good thing.
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Old Posted Nov 3, 2014, 4:32 PM
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Sounds like an opportune time to start planning for building integrated urban wind turbines. I see wind tunnels as a good problem to have for an innovate design solution making use of it.
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Old Posted Nov 4, 2014, 7:09 PM
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Jesus! Toronto needs to stop being so melodramatic. Its just wind. If you want to build a city with skyscrapers, you are going to have wind. You would think they would have already addressed this. Toronto does have over 200 of them you know!
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