The structural design of systems to resist wind loads is one

of the most interesting tasks that a structural engineer can

encounter in his career. The number of possible solutions
are endless. This is the area in which one's imagination and
judgment can be used in the development of innovative
designs and to find unique solutions to the most important
and difficult problems in the design of high-rise buildings.
For structural engineers, the goal for wind load design might
be defined as to produce structures that perform in a satisfactory
manner under the influence of wind loads and, as
always, at the least possible cost. The level of performance
desired may vary with the type and use of the structure. For
instance, a higher level of performance would be desirable
for a hospital than for a speculatively built office building.
In a hospital environment, it is probably not acceptable for
the occupants to feel uncomfortable due to motion induced
by wind load except under extraordinary circumstances. On
the other hand, the owner of a speculative office building
may well accept some disturbing motion on a more or less
regular basis, say five or ten years. Galambos and Ellingwood
(1986) suggest that an acceptable level of performance
may be to expect some occupant annoyance one time in the
life of an average lease—eight years. Thus, it may seem
appropriate to establish separate levels of performance for
strength and serviceability for different types of structures.
For a hospital, one may wish to select a 100-year storm for
strength and a 50-year storm for motion. For an office building,
one may wish to use the code-required wind load
(usually 50 years) for strength and a 10-year storm for
motion. In any case, the deflection due to wind load must
be limited to an amount that the building cladding and finishes
can tolerate.
Drift Limits
The selection of an appropriate drift limit for a multi-story
project is a problem faced by structural engineers since the
inception of skyscrapers. It is now recognized that drift control
will not necessarily insure satisfactory performance with
respect to human perception of motion due to wind loading.
In tall buildings (buildings over 300-350 ft), acceleration due
to wind loading is the parameter which must be considered
in evaluating the effects of wind-induced motion. For buildings
under 25 to 30 stories, drift control will probably become
more important in the near future. At this time full wind tunnel
studies are probably not economically justified for the
less tall buildings. Two references which describe the problem
are "Structural Design of Tall Steel Buildings" (CTBUH
1978) and "Human Response to Tall Buildings Wind-Induced
Motion" (Reed, Hansen and Van Marke 1972).
Historically, recommended drift limits have varied widely
(CTBUH 1979). Recently, a subcommittee of the ASCE Committee
on Design of Steel Building Structures conducted a