Determination of Wind Pressures on Low-Rise Elevated Residential Buildings through Large-Scale Wind Tunnel Testing

Elevated buildings, such as those on stilts or piers, have found a common use particularly in coastal regions for avoiding floodwaters and to minimize hydrodynamic loading from storm surge during high wind events or otherwise. Though these raised structures are typically well-designed for the hydrodynamic loading from flooding waters, storm surge, and carried debris, there is limited code guidance on the wind loading. An experimental program was conducted at the Florida International University Wall of Wind Experimental Facility using a scaled model of a single-story residential home elevated to various heights, during which wind loading was measured for different wind directions. Wind pressure coefficients on the elevated building model surfaces were found to be generally greater than or equal to those for the non-elevated model, and measured floor pressures were comparable to those on the roof. These findings provide critical impetus for continued research, and potential for updating relevant code provisions.