For an energy-conscious planning, two wind
directions are of general interest: The main wind direction in
the western wind quadrant is the direction of the most frequent
and also the strongest winds, above all in winter. Easterly
winds are not so frequent and are associated with lower wind
velocities. In winter, however, they appear in connection with
particularly low air temperatures. Since westerly-oriented rooms
have increased heating requirements owing to the wind,
wind-shielding measures – at a minimum the avoidance of
expressly westerly-oriented surfaces – exert a favorable
effect on heating energy usage. Special attention should also be
paid to easterly-oriented walls with regards to heating
insulation and tightness of wall joints. In both cases a
position with adequate shelter from the wind is recommended.
In areas with high winds, buildings should be
placed in a skewed direction relative to the main wind direction
in order to reduce the surface area that comes into direct
contact with the wind and thereby reduce pressure and vacuum
forces. A rotation of 45° in the building lengthwise axis
relative to the main wind direction can create leeward areas for
buildings lying behind in the presence a vertically-stepped
building arrangement. Relative to the main wind direction,
however, so-called "gap- and nozzle-effects" from the
arrangement of buildings – i.e. compressing the wind and thus
increasing its velocity – must be avoided. If necessary, wind
protection measures, including organic (i.e. trees) measures
where possible, must be foreseen in areas of gaps between
buildings (DUETZ, MAERTIN, 1982) (see also Figure
2/9 (d)).
