Creating comfortable open spaces in terms of wind in mass housing settlements

Human comfort in open spaces may be affected by a wide range of additional parameters, including microclimatic conditions, activity level, acclimation etc. Wind's mechanical effects on human body, especially in the pedestrian level, had become dangerous because of insufficient knowledge about the designs in the wind. Studies on this subject were emphasized in the last 30 years, experimental or computational studies conducted in many countries, different wind comfort criteria and regulations established. The generated wind comfort criteria vary from country to country, city to city, and even the institute to institute, there is no standard in this regard. In addition to this, the studies in the literature are mostly focused on the wind's mechanical effects on human body. In this study, climatic data from the archives of General Directorate of State Meteorological Service of Turkey were compiled and comfort zones for optimum conditions are established in different temperature and humidity conditions for different activity levels by considering a combination of wind's thermal and mechanical effects. The obtained wind speed threshold values are used for determine wind comfort of the common types housings in different climatic regions of Turkey. URBAWİND software is used for simulation of wind. The results of this study which is conducted the scope of a TUBITAK 1001 project, will be a guide for creating comfortable open spaces by optimum position of buildings in terms of wind.