Monitoring wind effects of a landfall typhoon on a 600 m high skyscraper

This article presents the observations of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and wind effects on a 600 m high skyscraper during a landfall typhoon. Wind structure and characteristics throughout the entire ABL are presented and discussed based on records from a Doppler radar wind profiler and near-ground measurements at several meteorological stations. Wind speed profiles with the feature of low-level jets and radial-distance and exposure dependences of gradient height are stressed. Afterwards, wind-induced pressures on building surfaces of the skyscraper are investigated with highlights on non-Gaussian probability distributions of negative pressures and vortex shedding occurred alternately at two sides of the building. The structural responses measured by both accelerometers and strain gauges are analyzed subsequently. Modal parameters of the skyscraper and their dependence on response amplitude are presented and discussed. This study aims to provide useful information for the wind-resistant design of skyscrapers in tropic cyclone-prone regions.