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JLeslie's avatar

Do large buildings have less trouble with high winds?

Asked by JLeslie (65743points) September 6th, 2019 from iPhone

I recently saw a TV series on skyscrapers. It was really interesting, they covered different skyscrapers being built around the world, different materials being used, all the consideration that need to be taken to account.

They mentioned only briefly the idea of mega large buildings being built where people could work, play, shop, and live; basically, an indoor city. I read about this concept in a sci-fI novel when I was a teenager. People would be commuting more vertically than horizontally.

The TV series I recently saw mentioned aerodynamics around the buildings, and my question is, if the building was very large, let’s say 3 city blocks square, then could it be built taller than a typical building, or is the opposite true? Which building is more easily engineered not to sway at high heights?

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3 Answers

elbanditoroso's avatar

Worth reading this as well.

How sway dampers make skyscrapers livable.

zenvelo's avatar

Wind effects are part of the engineering, both in designing the building and in the site placement. Large buildings can cause big wind problems for people on the ground. And there are plenty of instances of skyscrapers losing window glass because of high winds.

A building that is blocks long and more than three or four stories high creates a canyon effect, and disrupts the wind pattern for anything nearby.

JLeslie's avatar

@zenvelo So, it could maybe be large at the base, but then it would have to break up into silos maybe. Possibly, with bridges at higher floors to not have to go all the way down to go to one of the other towers.

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