Is the amount a building can safely sway a factor of the footprint size or the height or both assuming all building materials are the same?

Answer 1

The amount of sway is related to two things, building structural integrity and building serviceability. We want building to be flexible, to be able to move to better absorb the lateral forces its subjected too. the Swat is directly related to the building mass, the shorter the building, the less the sway. the larger the footprint, the less the sway.