Bendy boat ?

[railsquid]

After the 2011 earthquake in Tokyo, a nearby skyskraper under construction was visibly swaying back and forth for quite a while. Glad I wasn't in one at the time...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NisWbAXfyWI

Intentional.  The whole structure sits on giant shock absorbers which allow it to sway but absorb the energy after a few cycles.  Otherwise there would easily be enough energy to destroy parts of the structure. 

Indeed. That's why pretty much every building here is build around a frame (either wooden or steel girders) rather than brick-built or as a monolithic concrete rebar structure.