Buildings transfer gravity and live loads down through columns to foundations. Column compressive stress equals force divided by cross-sectional area; a structure is safe while stress stays below the material's yield strength divided by a safety margin.
σ = F / A (compressive stress)
Safety factor = σ_yield / σ_applied
F_total = floors × (dead load + live load × utilization)
- Floors built — sets the target height; floor slabs rise one at a time in the build animation.
- Build speed — how fast each floor's crane-and-slab sequence completes.
- Applied load — extra live load (occupants, furniture, wind) added on top of the structure's self-weight, visibly increases column stress and sway.
- Frame type — steel columns are slender and strong (high yield stress, less sway damping); concrete columns are bulkier with different stiffness.
Structural engineers use exactly this stress/safety-factor logic — codified in building codes — to size columns so real buildings never approach failure under expected loads.