The past three decades have been a time of intensive development for high-rise housing in Shanghai. It has grown from an experimental prototype to the city's predominant form of housing. In this thesis, three periods in the developmental progress of Shanghai's high-rise housing will be examined, beginning in 1972. The interrelationships between the specific socioeconomic contexts, building codes, and design strategies are explored sequentially, and twelve typical high-rise housing projects are discussed, in an effort to trace the evolution of high-rise housing design strategies. / The study focuses primarily on three aspects of high-rise housing design: site organization, building design and unit layout. Responses to socio-economic transformation and building code regulations related to architectural design strategies are explored from the macro to the micro level. The experiences and lessons learned from previous works are reviewed, as well as suggestions for improving the performance of future projects, through approaches to architectural design and building-code adjustments.

An important element in the building fire safety of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong since 1996 has been the use of refuge floors in the building's evacuation system. To prevent smoke collecting and remaining in the refuge floors, the Building Code of Hong Kong requires these floors to have openings on opposite sides to provide adequate wind-induced ventilation. Other researchers using CFD simulations without wind tunnel verification have indicated that under certain conditions smoke could still remain on these floors and thereby reducing the fire safety of the refuge floors. This thesis explores these situations and presents a detailed scientific investigation of the wind movement in and around a refuge floor at mid-height of a high-rise building using wind tunnel testing together with CFD simulations (using CFD CFX-5.6 package). Besides identifying problem areas for smoke logging, this thesis also identifies how the design of a refuge floor can be modified to improve its fire safety. A significant factor on the fire safety of a refuge floor is the blocking effect of the building's central core and its effect on the wind-induced ventilation. Under Hong Kong Building Code, the central core can occupy up to 50% of the refuge floor. Previous investigators did not take into consideration the effect of the maximum core size on natural ventilation of the refuge floor. This thesis investigates the worst case scenario for a refuge floor that has a core occupying 50% of the floor and has two solid walls on opposite side of the floor to identify the problem areas where smoke could collect and remain. In exploring the worst case scenario with two parallel solid walls, the investigations revealed that the ceiling height and the wind direction have a significant effect on the wind ventilation of the refuge floor. These factors were not identified by previous investigators. In the case of the ceiling height, it was found that the head height of the refuge floor should be greater than 0.02 times the building height to achieve the desirable wind environment on the refuge floor. Regarding wind directions, the wind from most angles escapes the floor via the channel-like corridors next to the central core of the building. The main problem area occurred when the wind was perpendicular to the solid side walls. This resulted in noticeable stagnant areas where smoke could remain. To validate the CFD method used in the thesis, wind tunnel experiments were performed to provide the scientific field velocity data of wind flowing over the building and in the refuge floor located at mid-height of the building. Earlier researchers of the refuge floor did not have access to wind tunnel data of a refuge floor. In comparing the wind tunnel experiments with the CFD simulations used in the thesis, acceptable agreement was achieved. These results make it possible for a significant reduction in the CFD computational effort that previous studies required. Based on the findings of the investigations undertaken, design recommendations are proposed to improve the fire safety of the refuge floor in multistorey buildings in Hong Kong.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

Thesis (M. Hous. M.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Arch.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-81). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Hous.M.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.L.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes special study report entitled : Towards the exploration of spatial MAXIMUM from the minimum. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Kung Yick Ho, Alvin. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2009-2010, design report." / "May 2010." / Includes bibliographical references.

Buildings and other infrastructures located in the coastal regions of the US have a higher level of wind vulnerability. Reducing the increasing property losses and causalities associated with severe windstorms has been the central research focus of the wind engineering community. The present wind engineering toolbox consists of building codes and standards, laboratory experiments, and field measurements. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 7 standard provides wind loads only for buildings with common shapes. For complex cases it refers to physical modeling. Although this option can be economically viable for large projects, it is not cost-effective for low-rise residential houses. To circumvent these limitations, a numerical approach based on the techniques of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been developed. The recent advance in computing technology and significant developments in turbulence modeling is making numerical evaluation of wind effects a more affordable approach. The present study targeted those cases that are not addressed by the standards. These include wind loads on complex roofs for low-rise buildings, aerodynamics of tall buildings, and effects of complex surrounding buildings. Among all the turbulence models investigated, the large eddy simulation (LES) model performed the best in predicting wind loads. The application of a spatially evolving time-dependent wind velocity field with the relevant turbulence structures at the inlet boundaries was found to be essential. All the results were compared and validated with experimental data. The study also revealed CFD’s unique flow visualization and aerodynamic data generation capabilities along with a better understanding of the complex three-dimensional aerodynamics of wind-structure interactions. With the proper modeling that realistically represents the actual turbulent atmospheric boundary layer flow, CFD can offer an economical alternative to the existing wind engineering tools. CFD’s easy accessibility is expected to transform the practice of structural design for wind, resulting in more wind-resilient and sustainable systems by encouraging optimal aerodynamic and sustainable structural/building design. Thus, this method will help ensure public safety and reduce economic losses due to wind perils.

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