Perception of vibration and occupant comfort in wind-excited tall buildings

Wind-induced building vibration can interfere with building occupants’ daily activities and general well-being. However, human perception of vibration and tolerance of wind-induced tall building vibration are essentially a subjective assessment. Hence, there is currently no single internationally accepted occupant comfort serviceability criteria which set a design standard for satisfactory levels of wind-induced vibration in tall buildings. This paper reviews past studies on human perception of vibration and tolerance thresholds of wind-induced tall building vibrations. Building vibration acceptability and occupant comfort criteria that have been commonly adopted for the assessment of occupant comfort in wind-excited tall buildings are outlined.