Field measurements of Di Wang Tower during Typhoon York

Di Wang Tower is the highest building located at the hub of the Shenzhen financial and commercial area, about 2 km from the Hong Kong border. On 16 September 1999, Typhoon York, which is the strongest typhoon since 1983 and the typhoon of longest duration on record, attacked Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The wind and structural monitoring system installed in Di Wang Tower timely recorded wind and structural response data. The measured wind data are analysed in this paper to obtain the mean wind speed and direction, turbulence intensity, gust factor, probability distribution, and wind spectrum. The wind characteristics measured from Typhoon York are compared with those currently used in Hong Kong and previously obtained by other researchers. The structural characteristics and responses, including the natural frequency, modal damping ratio, translational and torsional displacement and acceleration responses, are also provided. The field measurement data clearly demonstrate that the performance of Di Wang Tower is satisfactory during Typhoon York. The field measurement data obtained here are useful for the validation of wind tunnel tests and the future design of tall buildings in typhoon regions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.