Of all the loading that a building is likely to encounter over its life, the wind has the greatest potential to cause damage to the cladding and even to the building structure.  However, with the correct design and specification of the roof and wall cladding systems and their fasteners, it should be possible to ensure that no new building built in the UK or elsewhere in Europe suffers such damage.

Wind loading is site and building specific due to the many factors that influence the wind speed at a given location. The calculation of wind loading is complicated and requires the services of a qualified engineer or the use of software by an appropriately experienced person.  However, it is essential that the wind loads are calculated for each and every building; since if not designed for, the force of the wind can cause failure of the cladding or even the building structure. Member companies can provide this service and software is also available; some examples of which may be obtained as part of the packages on offer by manufacturers.

If designed properly, no cladding should fail due to wind loading. The only way to be confident that your buildings will survive the worst storms year after year is to ensure that the wind loading is calculated properly for every building and that the cladding and fasteners are specified accordingly. MCRMA member companies can advise on the suitability and performance of materials, systems and assemblies. Additional advice can be obtained from the independent roofing and cladding inspectors featured on the MCRMA web site.

MCRMA also offers a CPD on wind loadings which introduces the key elements that need to be taken into account when calculating wind loadings on the roofs and walls of industrial and commercial buildings. Successful completion of this CPD should ensure that the user understands how wind forces work on buildings, the factors which can influence the wind loading and the zonal changes that can occur around the building envelope. The CPD is accredited by the CPD Certification Service.

MCRMA has listed a number of organisations that provide online software tools to enable users to calculate wind loads, distance and elevations.  There are also links to organisations which provide weather forecasts and data from local weather stations, including near real-time weather maps of wind strength and direction.

Note

The links opposite are provided for your reference and their inclusion does not imply any endorsement by MCRMA who cannot be held responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Although care has been taken to ensure that the calculated results are correct; users should verify the output. The parties associated with the featured software and web sites assume no responsibilities for errors or misuse of this software, or damage arising from the use of this software.