6. High-rise buildings

They require a special, detailed study, because the stresses are much more severe:

• wind and rain are very strong at a height of 100 or 200 m ;

• These buildings are subject to significant displacements under the wind in the upper floors, which can reach several centimetres or tens of centimetres at a height of 200 m, resulting in significant movements of the joints, particularly in bending and shearing;

• the weight of these buildings, which can reach several tens of thousands of tonnes, also leads to slow deformation of the joints;

• they generally combine materials with very different coefficients of expansion: metals, glass, various panels.

These buildings also require excellent fire protection, so they feature...