Tapering

Tapering is a design strategy in which a structure narrows as it rises. It reduces upper-level mass and changes how forces and wind act on the structure.

Wind load: The force exerted by moving air on a surface or structure. A narrowing profile can reduce wind exposure and alter wind forces at higher levels.
Skyscraper: A very tall, habitable building with many stories. Taper is a common strategy for controlling wind effects in tall buildings.
Structural engineering: The engineering discipline concerned with designing structures to carry loads safely and reliably. It supplies the methods used to evaluate a tapered structure’s strength and stability.
Uniform cross section: A structural form whose cross-sectional dimensions remain constant along its length. It provides the direct geometric opposite of narrowing with height.
Structural load: A force or other action that a structure must resist. Taper changes how a structure distributes its weight and external forces.
Burj Khalifa: A skyscraper in Dubai that has held the record as the world’s tallest building since 2010. Its stepped, tapering profile was designed to disrupt wind forces.
Center of mass: The point representing the mean position of mass in a body or system. Narrowing upper levels can lower a structure’s center of mass compared with a uniform form.
Inverted taper: A form that widens as it rises rather than narrowing upward. It reverses tapering’s direction and produces different structural and visual effects.
Bending moment: The turning effect produced by forces acting on a structural member. Wind-induced bending helps explain why towers often narrow toward their tops.
Pyramid: A solid or monumental structure with a polygonal base and triangular sides meeting at a point. Its upward-narrowing form is an ancient expression of structural taper.

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