I work on the 21st floor of a tall building in Midtown Manattan. I’m not used to being in tall buildings or spending the majority of my time in them. It is HELLA windy today. The entire building is creaking and I can feel the earth move underneath me. Please explain to me, in rational and calm detail, preferably with architectural schematics and links to peer-reviewed literature, that I am not going to die.
Thanks so much,
Christy
Go down to the lobby. Look around. There’s probably a plaque saying when the building was constructed. It was probably decades ago. There’s been lots of windy days since then. Prolly some a whole lot worse than today. Building is still standing.
You’re not going to die. You might get woozy (I used to get an upset stomach back when I worked in the Loop in tall buildings) but that would be about it.
You’re in the Equitable building, right?
It’s old. You’ll be fine.
I’m in a building about 6 down from you and it sort of does the same thing. It is fine, I promise.
I’m even higher up in WFC 3 and I don’t feel a thing. 
Not anymore, stalker. 
I’m in One Penn Plaza. Midtown.
Read the fable about the oak tree and a reed.
You should be fine…unless the wind happens to blow at just the right speed to hit the resonance frequency of the building and it shakes itself apart like the Tacoma Narrows bridge. But that almost never happens.
You’re not a therapist by any chance, are you?
Yes, but each windy day makes it weaker, right? Right? So it could collapse today! 
I was offered a job in a tall-ish building in central London (Centre Point) and during my interview my prospective colleagues were telling me interesting stories about how people got motion sickness during the last winter storm and had to be sent home. It was a little unnerving, but had nothing to do with my turning down the job.
It’s like watching the wingtips waggle on a plane. You wonder if that’s quite right, then you realise they were designed to be that way. Same thing here. All will be well. Wind Resistance - How Skyscrapers Work | HowStuffWorks
In hunting around for “skyscrapers” and “wind” I found this. Enjoy, and try not to barf at the thought.
As a professional Architect who has worked on several high rise buildings, I can unequivocally state that you are going to die…
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some day
just not today
The building will be standing for awhile
trust me 
You moved to another building? I guess we won’t get to go to lunch then. 
Anecdotal and completely without schematics, but I spent 14 or so years managing hi-rises in the Loop.
You’re fine, they are supposed to do that. It’s wiggle a little or snap like an 80 year old woman’s tibia.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee, then go to the 99th floor of the Sears Tower on a very windy day and watch the coffee slosh in your cup. Even better, peek into a toilet up there. Whitecaps in the crapper.
We still have the museum next weekend! Right?
Of course! I PMed a couple of people to see if they wanted to join us but I haven’t heard back yet, so it might just be you and me (and your hubby, if he wants to join us!)
We were supposed to have lunch sometime, I think. Huh.
In a skyscraper myself, and the wind is blowing like you wouldn’t believe. The motion is quite noticeable but I don’t think there is anything out of the ordi
I knew I could count on you guys.
skyscrapers are built to dance in the wind. it is when they don’t dance that you should worry.
the creaking is a bit nerve wracking though. i always thought it sounded like wood ships in the waves.