Skyscrapers are specifically designed to withstand extreme weather and geological events such as high winds or earthquakes. Allowing for movement helps these tall buildings sway and alleviate wind pressure, minimizing any fall risk.
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That's why tall buildings need deep foundations (where a significant part of the building is constructed underground to support the part that's above ground). If something tries to push the top the building to one side, the foundations effectively resist and push it back in the opposite direction!
Triangles distribute forces and help create stable structures. Overlapping blocks rather than stacking them directly on top of one another increases stability. Structures also need to be balanced. They must have a strong foundation and a relatively low center of gravity, so they don't collapse or tip easily.
Most skyscraper visitors won't notice how much skyscrapers sway, as the movement is designed to be as imperceptible as possible. That being said, individuals who experience motion sickness may be more aware of tall buildings swaying and may need to move to a lower floor to eliminate the swaying sensation.
They go much further down than a shallow foundation. Piles or pilings are drilled down into the earth. Some skyscraper foundations go deeper than 250 feet. The depth of a deep foundation depends on how tall the building is.
The superstructure is supported by a large reinforced concrete mat, which is in turn supported by bored reinforced concrete piles. The design was based on extensive geotechnical and seismic studies. The mat is 3.7 metres thick and was constructed in four separate pours totaling 12,500 cubic meters of concrete.
Hence, staying in top floor of a high-rise building is practically safer than to be in the open street among the stampede of fear-stricken people. Tall buildings offer maximum security from an earthquake jolt if the areas do not fall in the epicenter of extremely powerful earthquake.
At 828 meters tall, the Burj Khalifa sways by around 4 to 5 feet owing to wind disturbance. Owing to the excellent construction of these structures, the sway action brought on by strong winds may either be controlled or dampened such that occupants on these upper levels don't feel the building move.
The main disadvantage of skyscrapers is how they can tend to take over a city. Rather than support ground-level interaction, they tend to isolate people with their omnipresence.