How do engineers design skyscrapers to resist wind? By clustering steel columns and beams in the skyscraper's core, engineers create a stiff backbone that can resist tremendous wind forces. The inner core is used as an elevator shaft, and the design allows lots of open space on each floor.

Skyscrapers resist wind through a combination of structural stiffness and aerodynamic shaping. High-speed winds at high altitudes exert massive "lateral loads" that can cause a building to sway, leading to structural stress and occupant discomfort. To counter this, engineers use a "stiff backbone" like a reinforced concrete core or a "bundled tube" design (as seen in the Burj Khalifa) where the exterior columns act as a rigid shell. Aerodynamically, modern towers often feature tapered profiles, rounded corners, or "sky openings" that disrupt air currents and prevent "vortex shedding"—a phenomenon where wind creates rhythmic pulses that can vibrate the building. Additionally, many supertall structures employ a Tuned Mass Damper (TMD), a massive steel weight (often hundreds of tons) suspended near the top; when the wind pushes the building one way, a computer-controlled hydraulic system moves the weight in the opposite direction, acting as a giant counterweight to neutralize the sway and keep the tower stable.