SaFEx

Safe Design of Porous Façades Exposed to Extreme Wind Conditions

SaFEx is a two-year research project funded under the PRIN 2022 programme by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR). It addresses the urgent need to improve the wind-resistant design of Permeable Double Skin Façades (PDSFs) — an increasingly popular architectural solution for energy-efficient buildings.

Figure 1. Example of flows around a porous envelope.

PDSFs consist of a solid inner façade and an outer porous cladding that reduces solar gains and creates a ventilated buffer zone. Despite their growing adoption, PDSFs pose significant challenges in terms of wind loading prediction and safety verification, due to their inherently multiscale geometry (see Fig. 1) and the limitations of existing experimental and numerical methods.

 

Figure 2. Structure of the project.

Objectives

  • Develop and validate innovative CFD and wind tunnel testing (WTT) techniques for porous façades.
  • Improve the scientific understanding of aerodynamics in porous bluff bodies.
  • Create design guidelines for the safe application of PDSFs under extreme wind conditions.

 

 

Methodology

The project aims at combining high-fidelity CFD simulations (by the University of Bologna) and large-scale wind tunnel tests performed at Polytechnic of Milan). It focuses on:

  • Characterizing aerodynamic forces on individual cladding panels (flat and lamellar types),
  • Studying porous envelopes without inner buildings,
  • Evaluating the wind loads on complete model PDSFs.

Expected Impact

SaFEx aims to:

  • Provide reliable design tools for engineers and façade manufacturers,
  • Reduce current uncertainties in wind loading estimates,
  • Enable the effective use of CFD and WTT for the design of porous façades in standard design practice.

 

Consortium

  • University of Bologna (CFD simulations, PI: Luca Patruno)
  • Polytechnic of Milano (Wind tunnel testing, Co-PI: Claudio Somaschini)

 

People

Luca Patruno (University of Bologna, PI)

Stefano de Miranda (University of Bologna)

Giovanni Lazzeri (University of Bologna)

Claudio Somaschini (Polytechnic of Milan, Co-PI)

Paolo Schito (Polytechnic of Milan)

Giulia Pomaranzi (Polytechnic of Milan)

Marcello Catania (Polytechnic of Milan)