Taipei 101

The Taipei 101 is a skyscraper located in Taipei (Taiwan) that has 106 floors (101 above ground level and 5 underground). It was the tallest building in the world between 2003 and 2009. The needle that crowns its 508 meters high makes it the eleventh tallest skyscraper in the world. It is also one of the tallest green skyscrapers in the world.

Taipei 101 began to take shape in 1999, with completion in 2004. Its total cost has been estimated at approximately US$1.76 billion. The blue-green glass curtain walls, characteristic of Taipei 101, are double-glazed to provide protection against heat and ultraviolet radiation. Thus, glass panels can block external heat by 50 percent.

The building's design is inspired by Chinese elements, being built in accordance with feng shui teachings to protect its occupants from bad influences. Like other iconic buildings, Taipei 101 often has its lighting changed to celebrate different events. Its design combines ancient motifs and ideas with modern techniques and materials. Its symbols imply images of optimism and abundance.

History

Taipei 101 construction began in 1999 and was completed in approximately 5 years. Five construction workers were killed when two cranes fell from the 56th floor due to a magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck Taipei on March 31, 2002.

The roof of Taipei 101 was completed on July 1, 2003. In a ceremony presided over by Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, the top was placed on October 17, 2003, allowing the Petronas Twin Towers to be taller by 56 meters. The mark that could not be exceeded was the highest height from the ground to the top (the antennas), as this continued to be held by the Sears Tower with 527 meters until the inauguration of the Burj Khalifa.

The office section, with capacity to house &&&&&&&&&&012000.&&&&&012,000 people, was inaugurated in November 2004, more than a year after the mall, which began operating in October 2003, after the completion of the building structure.

Taipei 101 was decorated with the famous physical equation E=mc² to commemorate the 2005 World Year of Physics. In addition, the building has been illuminated for Christmas and has been used to launch fireworks for the year on several occasions new and festivities. In February 2020, its façade was illuminated in tribute to the medical personnel who were fighting the epidemic of pneumonia caused by COVID-19.

The skyscraper held the title of "tallest" in the world from 2004 to 2010. However, nine other skyscrapers had surpassed it since then until 2019. As of the 2010s, the construction of other skyscrapers added to the Taipei 101, have raised the city's skyline to another level.

The Taipei 101 at night with the famous equation of Albert Einstein E=mc2.

Diagram of the Taipei 101 and the highest structures in the world.

Symbolism

Taipei 101 uses the symbolism of the axis mundi, a center of the world where the earth meets the sky. Its 101-story height commemorates the renewal of time: the new century that came when the towers were under construction (100+1). It symbolizes the high ideals derived from going one beyond 100, a number traditionally associated with perfection. It represents the location in which the building is located, 101 is the zip code of the Taipei International Business District. The number also evokes the binary system used in digital technology.

The main tower includes a series of eight segments of eight stories each. In Chinese culture the number eight is associated with prosperity. In cultures that observe seven-day weeks, the number eight represents the renewal of time (7+1). In digital technology the number eight is associated with the byte, the basic unit of information.

Simultaneously repeated segments recall the rhythm of a pagoda, a stalk of bamboo (symbol of eternal strength), and a stack of Chinese ingots used in ancient times as money.

Curved ruyi figures appear on the structure as ornaments, serving as a talisman symbolizing good fortune in Chinese folklore. Each ruyi ornament on the Taipei 101 Tower is at least 8 meters high. The curved roof of the mall attached to the building culminates in a colossal ruyi that shades passers-by.

At night the yellow glow cast by the pinnacle of the building helps to represent that the tower is a free-living torch that welcomes visitors. From 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., the tower's lights display one of seven colors in the visible spectrum. The color matches the day of the week. The cycle through said spectrum connects the tower with the symbolism of the rainbow, traditionally seen as a bridge between heaven and earth.

In the park attached to the building there is a deep connection with time, as a clock draws its energy solely from the tower's wind turbines. The circular shape of the clock is an echo of the shape of the park itself.

Features

Each of the floors of Taipei 101 has the Siemens energy management system platform for buildings. This system has been essential in obtaining the LEED-EBOM Platinum certificate, a seal that recognizes the leadership of this skyscraper in energy efficiency and sustainable design.

The platform leverages the Internet of Things to obtain data from the skyscraper, which is then analyzed. The system allows checking the consumption of energy, water and environmental quality in real time and identifying and solving potential problems.

External building

Taipei 101 has 101 floors above ground (hence its name), and 5 floors underground.

The skyscraper bore the following markings:

• Height from the ground to the structural cusp: 508 meters (uppered the brand that the Petronas Towers previously held with 452 meters).
• Height from the ground to the roof: 448 meters (uppered the brand that previously held the Sears Tower with 443 meters).
• Height from the ground to the last occupable plant: 438 meters (overlaid the brand that previously held the Sears Tower with 413 meters).
• Lift speed: 16.83 meters/second (or 1.01km/minute) from Toshiba Kone. It's the fastest lift in the world.

Construction

Shock absorber

Locating the damper.

According to its technicians, it can withstand earthquakes of up to 7 degrees on the Richter scale and strong winds. The important capacity for absorbing mass movement in this structure resides in a mass damper formed by a large golden ball of steel weighing 680 tons composed of metal plates on the 92nd floor suspended with turnbuckles from the top and held at its base with hydraulic pumps, being the largest and heaviest in the world. When the building moves in one direction the shock absorber It drives it in the opposite direction, absorbing the energy of movement, serving as a mechanical counterweight to vibrations, limiting them and stabilizing the building. It is divided into 8 segments of 8 floors, and it is the only damper that is in public view.

In addition, 8 large columns built in reinforced concrete and steel, hold it to the base and embrace it up to the 26th floor, while another 32 columns go up to the 62nd floor. The chamfered corners reduce the force of the wind and a complex mesh structure of steel embraces it, forming a belt that narrows at the lower part of the building and reaches the 34th floor.

The elevator manufactured by the Toshiba company holds the world speed record: in 37 seconds it transports 30 people from the fifth floor to the 101st floor. It has a hermetic sealing system similar to that of an airplane to avoid discomfort in the ears at the people who travel in it.

Seismic risk

Taipei 101 is so large that its 700,000-ton weight is thought to have reopened an ancient geological fault line that could cause future earthquakes. However, there are geologists who say that this is not true, the weight of excavated earth is equal to the weight of Taipei 101, which means that there was no change in the force exerted on failure.^{[quote required]}

The Taipei 101 is together with the Costanera Center Torre 2 and Titanium La Portada from Chile, Torre Latinoamericana, Torre Mayor, Chapultepec Uno, Torre BBVA, Torre Reforma and Torre Ejecutiva Pemex from Mexico, the U.S. Bank Tower, Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles and the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, among others, one of the structures located in an area of high seismic risk.

Tourism

Taipei 101 observation decks are located on the 88th and 89th floors, with an outdoor terrace on the 91st floor open depending on good weather.

Succession