Occupant comfort in wind-excited tall buildings: Motion sickness, compensatory behaviours and complaint

1014 central business district workers in Wellington, New Zealand, were surveyed about their experiences of wind-induced building motion, susceptibility to motion sickness, reported compensatory behaviours, and complaints about building motion. Overall, 41.7% of the respondents reported that they had felt wind-induced building motion, and 41.6% of those respondents reported perceptible motion at least once a month. Difficulty in concentrating was the most frequently reported effect of building motion, reported by 41.9% of the respondents who had felt building motion. This suggests that early onset motion sickness develops in many building occupants. Despite a strong preference to avoid working in tall buildings, highly susceptible individuals were equally likely to work on high floors as low floors, increasing their potential exposure to building motion. These highly susceptible individuals were more likely to report symptoms of motion sickness due to building motion. Despite the reported adverse effects of motion sickness, building occupants in general almost never make formal complaints about building motion, contradicting the widely held assumption that complaint is an effective index of building performance. Some building occupants then actively compensate for the effects of building motion by taking more breaks and in some cases taking motion sickness tablets. Implications for occupant comfort, motion sickness, the rate of occupant complaint and compensatory behaviours are discussed. •Occupants of wind-excited tall buildings were surveyed.•Difficulty concentrating (42%) was the most reported effect.•Motion sickness susceptible individuals are likely to work on high floors.•Some building occupants manage their comfort with compensatory behaviours.•Building occupants very rarely make formal complaints.