Through a series of examples, Mark will discuss state-of-the-art wind engineering methods and how simple modifications in geometric form can help in optimizing the design of tall buildings. His talk will conclude by discussing how our wind engineering made the impossibly slender 432 Park Avenue tower possible. Located in the center of Manhattan, 432 Park Avenue is the third tallest building in the U.S. and the tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere.

More than twice the height any of its nearby neighbors, the 1396-foot (426m) structure is an expression of architect Rafael Viñoly’s vision of pure pragmatic form – a square shape, extruded straight into the sky, the exposed concrete simply and elegantly expressing pure structure. RWDI was the wind engineer on this project and our challenge was to somehow ensure the building’s design would lessen the effect of the wind and ensure that acceptable occupant comfort would be maintained. Mark will share our approach to solving this challenge - a combination of comprehensive wind tunnel studies, close collaboration with the architect in shaping workshops, the use of a motion simulator and the implementation of an innovative tuned mass damper system.

Presented By: Mark Chatten, P.Eng., P.E.

Senior Consultant | Principal

Mark Chatten brings over fifteen years’ experience to RWDI’s Building Performance group. Clients working on complex buildings benefit from Mark’s ability to develop high performance solutions for wind and climate challenges that support the integrity of architects’ and fellow engineers’ designs. His project experience includes working on some of the tallest buildings in SE Asia, including landmark projects such as the 638m tall Signature Tower, now under development in Jakarta, and the recently completed Tanjong Pager Centre in Singapore. As a Principal of the firm Mark has leadership roles in RWDI’s operations in both North America and Asia. Mark is a licensed professional engineer in a numbers of jurisdictions in both USA and Canada, as well as being a Chartered Engineer in the United Kingdom.

Architectural Aerodynamics: Wind Engineering Issues in the design of Tall Buildings