PurposeThis article aims to address an outstanding problem dealing with the structure of multi-story buildings subjected to differential settlement of the building's foundation.Design/methodology/approachDifferential settlement between foundation units of multi-story structures has been responsible for causing damage to buildings and often catastrophic failure and loss of life. The dynamic changes in the loading conditions of the structure and the changes in the underlying ground due to environmental changes are causing this undesirable differential settlement, which is manifested in the form of additional stresses in beams, columns and distortion of the structure elements. This study presents the results of an experimental investigation on a prototype model of a multi-story building subjected to differential settlement of the building's foundation. The model is a four-floor aluminum structure, instrumented to measure the stresses induced in the structure elements due to the settlement of a center, edge and corner column, respectively, which represent the critical conditions of the structure.FindingsThe experimental results of this study can be used as a guideline for the design of structures.Originality/valueThe current study is the original research developed by the authors.