A study of aerodynamic pressures on elevated houses

In coastal residential communities, especially along the coastline, flooding is a frequent natural hazard that impacts the area. To reduce the adverse effects of flooding, it is recommended to elevate coastal buildings to a certain safe level. However, post storm damage assessment has revealed severe damages sustained by elevated buildings' components such as roofs, walls, and floors. By elevating a structure and creating air gap underneath the floor, the wind velocity increases and the aerodynamics change. This results in varying wind loading and pressure distribution that are different from their slab on grade counterparts. To fill the current knowledge gap, a large-scale aerodynamic wind testing was conducted at the Wall of Wind experimental facility to evaluate the wind pressure distribution over the surfaces of a low-rise gable roof single-story elevated house. The study considered three different stilt heights. This paper presents the observed changes in local and area averaged peak pressure coefficients for the building surfaces of the studied cases. The aerodynamics of the elevated structures are explained. Comparisons are done with ASCE 7-16 and AS/NZS 1170.2 wind loading standards. For the floor surface, the study suggests a wind pressure zoning and pressure coefficients for each stilt height.