Balcony glass handrail systems for architectural and safety purposes need to be designed for wind loading, as well as being considered when estimating the wind loading on the building itself. However, current building codes and standards do not provide a precise methodology for estimating wind effects on buildings with glass railings. This paper investigates the wind effects on a 15-story residential mid-rise building with balcony glass handrail systems. Scaled model experiments were performed in the Wall of Wind facility at Florida International University. Two sets of experiments were performed by using building models without and with balcony handrail systems. Wind effects on both continuous and discontinuous balconies were studied. Results showed that the balconies can change the flow pattern around the building and consequently the pressure distribution on the walls. Pressure coefficients on the balcony handrail systems reported in this paper and in follow-up studies will help to achieve more reliable design guidance for railing systems that will improve safety of the residents.
