Pedestrian-level wind environment within the intervening space between elevated towers above a podium: Effects of core geometry and wind direction

Abstract

An intervening space, which is typically situated between buildings over the podium, has been increasingly incorporated into residential developments, yet its pedestrian-level wind environment (PLWE) remains insufficiently investigated. This study combines wind tunnel experiments and steady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations to investigate the PLWE within the intervening space between twin towers on a podium. Following validation against wind-tunnel measurements, nine elevated-tower (ET) configurations with different core geometries were investigated under four approaching wind directions ( θ = 0 ° , 30 ° , 60 ° and 90 ° ). The PLWEs were evaluated by utilizing the wind speed ratio K within a defined region of interest (ROI), with low wind speed (LWS), acceptable (ACC), and high wind speed (HWS) classifications adopted as a reference framework. The results reveal that the effects of elevated-tower configurations are strongly dependent on wind direction and core geometry. Elevated towers generally alleviate LWS conditions by facilitating under-tower flow and redistributing momentum within the ROI, particularly under oblique winds. ACC conditions account for approximately 43–74% of the ROI at 30 ∘ and 60 ∘ , whereas strong aerodynamic sheltering at 90 ∘ maintains the entire ROI within the LWS range. The localized maximum wind speed ratio ( K max ) is also wind-direction dependent, with Δ K max reaching 9.0% at 30 ∘ . These findings highlight the importance of considering core geometry together with approaching wind direction when designing elevated towers to improve the wind environment within podium-level pedestrian spaces.