Evaluating the Impact of Wind Vibrations on Building Structures

Abstract: In recent years, the rapid growth of urbanization and the increasing demand for vertical construction have led to the development of tall and complex building structures. These structures are highly sensitive to lateral loads, particularly wind loads, which significantly influence their stability, safety, and serviceability. Wind is a dynamic and fluctuating load that varies with height, terrain, and environmental conditions, making its analysis essential in the design of high-rise buildings. The present study focuses on evaluating the impact of wind vibrations on building structures with different configurations. In this research, a comparative analysis is carried out on rectangular (regular) and C-shaped (irregular) reinforced concrete buildings with varying heights of 16, 18, and 20 storeys. All models are developed and analyzed using ETABS 2016 software, which allows accurate modeling and simulation of structural behavior under wind loading conditions. The wind load is applied as per the provisions of IS 875 (Part 3): 2015, considering a basic wind speed of 47 m/s for the selected region. The study evaluates key structural response parameters such as time period, storey displacement, storey drift, storey shear, and base shear. The results indicate that the time period increases with building height, showing that taller structures are more flexible. It is also observed that C-shaped buildings exhibit higher time period, displacement, and drift, indicating lower stiffness and greater susceptibility to wind-induced vibrations. On the other hand, rectangular buildings show higher storey shear and base shear, demonstrating better load distribution and structural resistance. The comparative analysis highlights that building shape plays a significant role in wind response behavior. Irregular configurations such as C-shaped buildings experience uneven pressure distribution and higher lateral deformation, which may lead to serviceability issues such as excessive drift and discomfort to occupants. In contrast, regular buildings perform more efficiently under wind load due to their uniform geometry and stiffness.