To minimize vortex shedding, skyscraper designers do everything in their powers to confuse the wind.
To minimize building costs and maximize revenues, skyscrapers generally take the shape of squares or rectangles. These are not particularly aerodynamic shapes, and this results in a wind phenomenon called “vortex shedding.”
As wind meets a rectangular skyscraper it pushes on the flat face of the building before flowing around its sides, where eventually it separates from the face of the structure. ( ① )
The difference in pressures on the front and back faces of the building gives rise to vortices, or spinning currents of wind, that flow downstream from the building. ( ② )
The vortices pull and push the building in a direction perpendicular to the wind at frequencies that can become dangerously self-sustaining. ( ③ )
Orienting the building so that the longer face of the structure is parallel with prevailing winds can help. ( ④ )
Chopping or rounding off corners of a building can likewise make it more aerodynamic. ( ⑤ )
Roughing up the corners of the building through the careful placement of balconies or stepped corners can help by disturbing or delaying the formation of strong vortices. * vortex: 회오리바람 ** perpendicular: 직각을 이루는
