A comprehensive model proposal for wind integration in urban and structural design in coastal cities: A case study of Antalya

The texture of a city cannot be thought of independently from the surrounding geometry. Hence, decisions determining the design criteria at an urban scale also affect architectural design decisions. The dual and complex relationship between buildings and cities is a crucial and challenging factor in urban ventilation. Particularly in regions dominated by the Mediterranean climate, characterized by humid-hot conditions, wind becomes a desired climatic element during summer. However, ensuring sufficient airflow depends on the urban structure permitting it. Enhancing natural ventilation conditions is essential for achieving a more sustainable living environment in cities, addressing issues such as thermal comfort, air pollution, and energy use. With this motivation, this study aims to identify necessary design strategies related to urban geometry to achieve optimal ventilation conditions in a hot-humid climate region. Areas within different settlement characters of Antalya city were selected as study areas, and their wind conditions were evaluated. Eight sample areas were classified based on building fraction area, surface roughness, and canyon aspect ratio within 400x400 m boundaries. Mathematical calculation methods were preferred for revealing wind environments and conducting mutual assessments. After creating 3D mass models of selected urban areas, simulations were performed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis in ANSYS 2020 Fluent software. Correlation matrix and regression analysis were employed to evaluate wind movements in different urban textures at designated measurement points. Sample areas were evaluated under categories of building density, surface roughness, urban voids, and street layouts. Two measurement point boundaries were established: central measurement points within 100x100 meter boundaries and street measurement points within the entire sample area boundaries. Building density emerged as a significant factor influencing wind speeds in the central region evaluation. In correlation analysis of data from central region measurement points, the relationship between central region wind speed (Vr) values and total building density (Ytotal) was found to be -0.70 (high level), while the relationship with central region building density (Ycentral) was -0.54 (moderate level). Data from street measurement points revealed that the dominant factor influencing wind speed in both correlation matrix and regression analyses was the angle of streets concerning prevailing winds. Wind angle showed the highest correlation value of -0.53 and emerged as the most significant parameter in regression analysis. The second most influential factor was the aspect ratio of streets (H/W).In conclusion, street layouts were identified as the most critical parameter affecting ventilation conditions, underscoring their pivotal role in shaping urban wind dynamics.