Smart Morphing Facades for Wind-Induced Vibration Control in Tall Buildings: Insights from Large-Scale Aeroelastic Wind Tunnel Testing

Smart morphing façade (Smorphacade) is presented as a strategy to mitigate wind-induced vibrations in tall buildings with the goal of increasing structural safety and occupant comfort. Past research has shown that modifying a building’s exterior surface roughness can significantly reduce wind loads. Understanding wind regime changes around buildings, Smorphacade provides an opportunity to actively reduce wind loads on the building’s exterior by changing the roughness. The proposed system in this study incorporates a fan-blade mechanism that allows for adjustments in porosity and fan-blade angles, thereby dynamically responding to changing wind conditions through modifications in surface porosity, surface roughness, and wind alignments. A 1∶76 scale aeroelastic model of the Commonwealth Advisory Aeronautical Research Council (CAARC) standard tall building was tested in a wind tunnel to assess the impact of façade modifications on building responses. Results indicated that the Smorphacade’s effectiveness varied based on the model’s geometry, wind speed, and direction. The results showed that for low wind speeds, at an angle of attack (AOA) of 90°, Configuration #6 was most effective for reducing vibrations by 10.5%, while at an AOA of 0°, Configuration #8 was the most effective, achieving an average vibration reduction of 33.2%. For medium wind speeds, Configuration #1 was most effective at an AOA of 90°, resulting in a 17% reduction in vibrations, while Configuration #8 was effective at an AOA of 0°, with an 18.6% reduction in vibrations. These results confirm that Smorphacade, when optimally configured, can effectively mitigate vibrations caused by varying wind strengths and directions.