Recommendation of gust factor for assessment of pedestrian wind environment based on probability of exceedance of daily maximum gust wind speed

A criterion for pedestrian wind environment based on probability of exceedance of daily maximum gust wind speed is commonly used in Japan. We usually use gust factors to estimate the daily maximum gust wind speeds, using daily maximum mean wind speeds. But there still remains an unsettled problem of how to determine the appropriate gust factors. "A Working Group for Urban Wind Environment Assessment" in the Japan Association for Wind Engineering has been studying this problem to establish rational wind environment assessment method. The WG proposes a model equation of the gust factors based on field observation data at 152 sites, and confirms the applicability of it to the assessment of pedestrian wind environment.