Accuracy of assessment of wind speed in the built environment

Wind tunnel simulations and criteria for wind comfort and safety are used to assess the wind climate in the built environment. Probability of occurrence of a critical wind speed is derived from as well wind tunnel results as data from a meteorological station. The paper discusses sources of error in the various steps. It is shown that at least a 20% standard deviation in the estimate of local wind speeds has to be accounted for. This error has impact on the application of various comfort criteria.