What is the aim of the review?

The UK is one of the windiest countries in Europe. Each year many thousands of buildings and structures are damaged by wind storms. Munich Re, one of the world’s leading reinsurers (http://www.munichre.com), found that while windstorms and severe weather in 2003 accounted for only about a third of the approximately 700 events recorded, they were responsible for 75% of all the insured losses caused by natural catastrophes. In the UK, the cost of the damage done to buildings due to windstorms is typically around £200m a year, but can exceed £2bn (Mootoosamy and Baker 1998). Windstorms are “the most important natural hazard of recent decades, in terms of the frequency of loss events, the total expanse of the areas affected and, above all, the scale of the damage caused” (Rauch, 2008).

Regarding future changes in UK wind patterns, UKCP09 states that very different projected changes in storms occur with the different climate models, and concludes that “there is uncertainty about future changes in wind speed and direction and we have little confidence about the regional changes in average or extreme wind speeds”. Even though increases in wind speed are uncertain, the possible level of damage means that this risk is still worth taking into account (Sanders and Phillipson, 2003; Austin et al., 2006). In the current work, it is taken that wind patterns may change in the future, and the impact of any such changes on building design and operations is investigated.

Who's in the review team?

• Dr. Andrew Quinn - University of Birmingham.
• Dr Nahia Gil
  

At what stage is the review?
This review is currently at the draft review stage. Please check this page again soon for progress updates.

Comments?
If you would like to comment on any aspect of this review, please email us. Your feedback is appreciated.