The 30-year long-term (1968–97) wind speeds were analysed, and along-term hourly wind speed database developed. Based on the statistical analysis, the outdoor design wind speeds at different significant levels (0.1%-10%) were determined for the summer and winter periods in Hong Kong. It was found that, at the 2.5% significant level, the summer and winter design wind speed were 7.5 and 7.0 m/s, respectively. The implications of these design wind speeds for the convective heat transfer coefficient and the corresponding outside surface resistance were investigated following the CIBSE Guide and the ASHRAE Handbook, which are commonly used in the local design practices. This paper presents the work and discusses its findings.