Wind-induced dynamic response of recessed balcony facades

Modern high-rise tower designs incorporating recessed balcony cavity spaces can be prone to high-frequency and narrow-band Rossiter aerodynamic excitations under glancing incident winds that can harmonize and compete with recessed balcony volume acoustic Helmholtz modes and facade elastic responses. Resulting resonant inertial wind loading to balcony facades responding to these excitations is additive to the peak design wind pressures currently allowed for in wind codes and can present as excessive facade vibrations and sub-audible throbbing in the serviceability range of wind speeds. This paper presents a methodology to determine Cavity Amplification Factors to account for façade resonant inertial wind loads resulting from balcony cavity aero-acoustic-elastic resonances by drawing upon field observations and the results of full-scale monitoring and model-scale wind tunnel tests. Recessed balcony cavities with single orifice type openings and located within curved façade tower geometries appear particularly prone. A Cavity Amplification Factor of 1.8 is calculated in one example representing almost a doubling of local façade design wind pressures. Balcony facade and tower design recommendations to mitigate wind induced aero-acoustic-elastic resonances are provided.