jasonjasonjason Junlin Li
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| If you visit Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, you can probably spot Taipei 101, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. Its name represents the number of floors in the building. The building stands at over 1,600 feet and opened on December 31st, 2004. Its architecture combines modern elements and traditional Taiwanese styles. It is also considered a “green building” because of its energy efficient features. The design and structure of Taipei 101 reflect the amount of innovation that went into building this skyscraper. Taipei 101’s design is inspired by Taiwanese culture and nature. The shape of the building looks like a bamboo stalk. Bamboo grows in many parts of Asia and symbolizes virtue in Taiwanese culture. It is a flexible, but sturdy plant that grows to high heights. This tall building is also quite resilient. Additionally, the building’s exterior resembles an elongated pagoda. This architectural style was originally built to honor the Buddha. As Buddhism spread throughout Asia during the Han Dynasty, this architectural style became more widespread. Although some of these pagodas are not Buddhist houses of worship anymore, they are still important historical structures that can be seen in many parts of Asia. Numbers also play an important symbolic role in this building. The number of floors, 101, was chosen at the end of the 20th century to celebrate the new 21st century. The building is split into eight sections of eight stories. The number eight represents abundance and good luck in Taiwanese culture. There are also large circular structures on each side of the building to symbolize ancient coins and the wealth they bring. These symbolic nods to traditional architecture are combined with innovative engineering. In order to build one of the largest skyscrapers in the world, engineers had to ensure the building would be stable and safe. They built 16 steel columns and 8 steel “super-columns” to ensure its stability. All of these columns are filled with concrete up to floor 62. Taipei is close to geological fault lines, which means earthquakes are common. Strong winds also occur frequently in this region. During strong winds or earthquakes, most skyscrapers sway from side to side and can experience structural damage. To lessen this movement, engineers created a 728-ton tuned mass damper (TMD). The TMD is a large steel sphere pendulum, located near the top of the building. A pendulum is a heavy weight hung from a point that swings back and forth. When the building is hit with a strong wind, the TMD swings and lessens the movement throughout the rest of the building. It is the largest TMD of its kind. Because of this device, Taipei 101 can withstand large earthquakes with a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale. People can see this impressive gold structure from an indoor public observatory. Taipei 101 is home to shopping malls, offices, and more. It is also the site of an impressive extreme sport known as “tower running.” Runners all over the world compete to race up the 2,046 steps from floors 1 to 91. It is considered to be a very challenging tower race because the elevation changes rapidly. Runners experience more than 1,200 feet of elevation gain in a very short amount of time. As of 2021, the time to beat was 10 minutes and 29 seconds! For a less strenuous route, visitors take the fast elevators that zoom passengers from the fifth floor to the 89th floor in only 37 seconds. This impressive building continues to be a source of pride for Taiwan. |
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