Windstorm Vulnerability Assessment of Buildings in Sylhet City, Bangladesh

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-884-4_3How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Vulnerability Assessment; Damage; Windstorm; Wind damage band model; Building damage degrees (BDD)

Abstract

Bangladesh is vulnerable to wind-related hazards, including thunderstorms, hailstorms, and cyclones, which can cause severe damage to buildings. Over the past 45 years, at least 23 major cyclones have impacted the country. Before 2006, the absence of a building code meant many low- to medium-rise structures were built without considering windstorm risks, making vulnerability assessments essential. This study focuses on Sylhet City, specifically Ward 21, to investigate factors influencing building vulnerability to wind and assess wind-induced damage. ‘Wind Damage Band Model,’ developed by the Public Works Department of Bangladesh (PWD) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2015, was used to identify weaknesses in buildings exposed to high winds. In the area, openings in exterior walls significantly affect wind performance. Approximately 93.3% of buildings have walls with 26-50% windows and doors, and 85% have overhead doors, indicating vulnerability. While most surveyed buildings are not highly susceptible to windstorms due to low wind velocity, 35% are considered relatively unsafe. To validate these findings, several vulnerable buildings underwent non-destructive testing and structural analysis.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Amit Chando Sagor
AU  - Mushtaq Ahmed
AU  - Najmin Tamanna Bonna
AU  - Sananda Das
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/11/18
TI  - Windstorm Vulnerability Assessment of Buildings in Sylhet City, Bangladesh
BT  - Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Engineering Research, Innovation, and Education 2025 (ICERIE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 17
EP  - 25
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-884-4_3
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-884-4_3
ID  - Sagor2025
ER  -