Giangregorio built a 1:500 scale model of Fenway and observed wind tests recently at MIT's Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel. The Sox wanted to see whether their own new construction inside the park affected wind patterns.
But according to Janet Marie Smith, the Red Sox' senior vice president for planning and development, the tests raised more concerns about the hot real estate market around Fenway Park.
''If I had to worry about the winds, it would be the concern with the [17-story] Trilogy project down the street," said Smith. ''It's going to impact the wind. That is the direction [southwest] of the prevailing winds in spring and summer."
Trilogy is a $200 million Fenway Ventures development at the intersection of Boylston Street and Brookline Avenue. It will include 12-, 15-, and 17-story towers linked by 10-story mid-rise buildings. It will feature shops and much-needed housing for the nearby medical community. The project was hailed as an ''anchor for a new and revitalized Boylston Street," by Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
But the jury is still out as to whether it will be an anchor to fly balls arching toward the Green Monster.
''If the winds change, it won't be anything we've done, it will be having a taller building [nearby]," said Smith. ''If it were any closer, we'd be really concerned about it. It's probably just on the cusp."
According to architect Giangregorio, the wind effect is noticeable from Trilogy, which is 800-900 feet away.
''We did look at the model with just the Trilogy on it and no other development on it," said Giangregorio. ''What we found was that the Trilogy building increases the turbulence in the air above Fenway Park and elevates the shear layer somewhat above the shear level of the .406 Club. So it does have some effect."
The shear layer is the difference between the constant flow of wind at a certain height and the stationary wind that's captured by the bowl inside Fenway Park.
