Exposure Assessment for Wind Engineering Applications

Theodore (Ted) Stathopoulos, PhD

Department of Civil Engineering

Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Friday, February 28, 2025 | 11:00 a.m. | 140 Ketter Hall 

Surface characteristic parameters of upstream exposures are one of the most complex issues in wind engineering research, having a profound impact on the accurate evaluation of wind loads on structures and wind environmental conditions in the urban environment. Although current wind load standards and codes of practice provide information on the characterization of different upstream exposure types to assist designers in the assessment of design wind loads, there are differences among different countries, generating a significant ambiguity in the provisions.

This lecture provides a comprehensive review of the characterization of upstream exposure for any wind engineering application. First, it outlines the relevant regulations in current wind load standards regarding uniform and non-uniform upstream surfaces. Then, it introduces the discrepancies found in the provisions of various countries and it reviews both experimental and computational methods applied for characterization of different types of exposure. Some recent innovative and promising techniques are presented and challenges currently faced are also discussed.

Theodore (Ted) Stathopoulos is currently Professor at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. His research in the area of wind effects on buildings and their codification has been influential in the development of codes and standards around the world. He has an extensive publication record with more than 600 articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings. He is a member of the ASCE 7 Committee on Minimum Wind Loads and the respective committee of the Canadian Code. He has been elected Convener of the International Organization (ISO) committee on Wind Action on Structures. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers and its Structural Engineering Institute.

He is the Editor of the Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics. He has been appointed Distinguished Professor in Building Physics, Urban Physics and Wind Engineering by the Technical University of Eindhoven, The Netherlands. He has been named Yang Hua Distinguished Chair Professor by the Southwest Jiatong University in Chengdu, China. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the wind engineering field, he has received the highest honors in the field, namely the Jack E. Cermak Medal and the Alan G. Davenport Medal. He has also received an Honorary Doctorate from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; and another one from the Technical University of Eindhoven, The Netherlands.