The objective of the paper is to show results from in situ measurements of local climate data and microclimate near a building. The measurements are made to validate a "microclimate description," in order to determine the influence of microclimate on the durability of building components. The "microclimate description" is a transformation of macroclimate data from a meteorological station or local station to obtain microclimate data for a particular site. The paper is focused on wind-driven rain. Driving rain is calculated by equations based on rainfall rate, wind speed, and empirical relationships between rainfall rate and drop size distribution. The calculated results are compared to measured driving rain results. The comparison between calculated and measured driving rain shows that they are not always in agreement. Low rainfall intensity, efficiency of collectors, and disruption of wind flow field close to building could be reasons for deviations between measured and calculated results.

Authors: Bijan Adl-Zarrabi, Ph.D. Anneli B. Högberg, Lic. Eng.
Citation: Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Buildings VIII
Keywords: December, Florida, 2001