The article large loads applied to the foundations of high-rise buildings from above-ground structures, as well as their high sensitivity to swaying, create their own peculiarities in the calculation and design of the foundations of high-rise buildings, which have not yet been sufficiently studied and require further research. In this regard, the study of these issues is relevant and has practical significance. The article proves that the pressure on the foundation of high-rise buildings is significantly higher than that of buildings up to 75 m high, which requires special laboratory and field studies; the features of geotechnical research, current standards, and excessive loads (1–2 MPa) are considered. High sensitivity to foundation deflections is ensured by increasing the dimensions (depth and width) of the compressed structure. The study examined the problems of calculation and design of foundations of high-rise buildings. The identified features of high-rise buildings require the development of geotechnical research, basic principles of calculation and design. It has been proven that in order to assess the accuracy of determining individual soil parameters, soil samples should be placed in devices that allow sealing the soil sample, as well as measuring pore and total pressure in order to restore the original state of the soil.