Liverpool could become high-rise ‘windy city’ experts warn

Aug 8 2007 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

AN INCREASE in the number of skyscraper developments in Liverpool could be turning it into England’s “windy city”, according to a leading structural engineer.

Sean Keyes, director of Sutcliffe, claims city council planners should offer guidance to developers about the risk of “funnelling” – where high winds can be created at ground level by the presence of tall buildings.

He said: “These skyscrapers can literally act like sails, dragging the high-speed winds off the sea down to the street level below.

“I’m a huge supporter of high- rise development in Liverpool but anyone working in high-rise areas of the city, such as Old Hall Street, can't fail to notice the impact of the wind at street level. I’ve even heard stories of old ladies being blown down the street. This is caused by funnelling. High speed winds off the sea hit and rebound between the high-rise buildings, actually increasing speed as they reach the ground.

“Funnelling is given more thought in other cities, not least London, and it’s an issue which should be taken seriously. As Liverpool continues to grow, more high rises are already being planned for the north end of the city centre and the experience at street level could get worse if we’re not careful.

“Funnelling causes a turbu-lent micro-climate which can be hugely damaging to buildings, with wind ripping glazing and cladding, causing some structures to fall down.”

Mr Keyes says Fiddler’s Ferry power station in Warrington is a prime example of how dama-ging wind dynamics can be. He said the huge chimneys were designed in isolation but once constructed unpredictable vor-tices are created, even causing one of them to collapse in 1984.

He added: “It is almost impos-sible this would happen in a high-rise building, which is built to withstand such forces. But Fiddler’s Ferry shows what the power of the wind can do.”

“This is an exciting time for Liverpool and it's essential we have more tall buildings, but we need to accommo-date them effectively in planning terms with more thought given to where they're being built, how they will interact with each other and how they’ll affect wind dynamics.”

tonymcdonough