Reviewed by Lexie CornerFeb 24 2025
A recent study published in Frontiers in Built Environment provides insights for future tall building design and urban planning, not only in Houston.
Houston's tall buildings, designed to withstand hurricane-strength winds, experienced significant damage in May 2024 due to a windstorm known as derecho. However, the same buildings sustained minimal damage during Hurricane Beryl in July 2024.
Researchers analyzed the damage caused by the derecho and used wind tunnel modeling to replicate the wind-loading effects on miniature tall buildings. The study concluded that, in addition to interference from large clusters of tall buildings, the specific characteristics of local phenomena such as derechos contributed to the structural damage. These findings have implications for the design of future tall buildings and urban planning.
Houston, home to over 50 buildings taller than 150 meters, has structures built to resist hurricanes, given Texas’s susceptibility to such events. However, on May 16, 2024, a derecho—a long-lived windstorm accompanied by fast-moving showers or thunderstorms—caused unexpected damage to several downtown buildings. The socioeconomic impact was substantial, with traffic disruptions, temporary business closures, and the need for repairs.
Why was the structural damage so much larger than anticipated? The new study has now revealed the solution to this conundrum. Its findings have implications for the future construction of tall structures and municipal planning, not just in Houston.
Here we show that a type of highly localized strong winds called ‘downbursts’, which were generated during the May derecho, can significantly impact tall buildings and facades due to their unique characteristics in comparison to hurricanes.
Dr. Amal Elawady, Study Author and Associate Professor, Florida International University
Downbursts are strong winds that descend rapidly and spread outward in all directions once they reach the ground, resulting in significantly stronger winds near the ground level of tall buildings.
Elawady is leading a research project that uses the "Wall of Wind" experimental facility, part of the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure and supported by the US National Science Foundation, to study the impact of downbursts on both tall and low-rise buildings in comparison to hurricanes.
An Ill Mind
The authors analyzed the impact of the May 2024 derecho on five prominent Houston buildings: the Chevron Building Auditorium, the CenterPoint Energy Plaza, the El Paso Energy Building, the RRI Energy Plaza, and the Wedge International Tower. These high-rises, constructed between 1962 and 2003, range in height from 158 to 226 meters. All buildings adhered to construction standards requiring them to withstand winds of up to 67 meters per second, equivalent to a category four hurricane.
Wind speeds recorded in downtown Houston during the derecho did not exceed this threshold, peaking at 40 meters per second. However, as the study indicates, facade panels were displaced, and cladding was damaged, particularly on corners and lower floors. Many windows cracked or shattered, releasing debris into the streets.
In contrast, Hurricane Beryl, which struck Houston on July 8, 2024, caused only minor damage to these buildings. The strongest recorded wind speed during Beryl was 36 meters per second, similar to the winds from the derecho.
Seeing Which Way the Wind Blows
At the Wall of Wind experimental facility, which features 12 jet fans capable of producing wind speeds up to 70 meters per second, the researchers modeled hurricanes and downbursts. These were directed at a rotating miniature model of a tall building, scaled at 1:350. To simulate interference from surrounding structures, an identical miniature was placed at varying distances from the first, ranging from 0.14 to 0.70 meters.
The authors evaluated two scenarios: one with a steady average wind speed typical of hurricanes, and another with a rapidly ramping wind speed, plateauing and then decreasing, typical of downbursts. The findings showed that downburst events created significantly more suction on building sides compared to hurricanes.
When strong winds move through a city, they can bounce due to interference between tall buildings. This increases pressure on walls and windows, making damage more severe than if the buildings were isolated. On top of this, downbursts create intense, localized forces, which can exceed typical design values for hurricanes, especially on the lower floors of tall buildings.
Omar Metwally, Study First Author and Doctoral Student, Florida International University
Given that human-induced climate change is already having a notable impact on Houston, the combined effects of interference and downbursts on tall buildings are expected to worsen. The Gulf of Mexico is warming twice as quickly as the rest of the ocean, at a rate of 0.19 °C per decade. Extreme weather events are anticipated to become more frequent and severe as temperatures rise.
“Accounting for the unique effects of downbursts and thunderstorm winds in derechos is essential in urban planning and building design, to protect tall buildings against damage. Current construction guidelines for facades should be re-evaluated to reflect this.” Metwally concluded.
Journal Reference:
Metwally, O., et al. (2025) Wind load impact on tall building facades: damage observations during severe wind events and wind tunnel testing. Frontiers in Built Environment. doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2024.1514523.