Taipei 101

Taipei 101, formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building ranked officially as the world's tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. In July 2011, the building was awarded LEED Platinum certification, the highest award in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and became the tallest LEED building in the world. Taipei 101 was designed by C.Y. Lee & partners and constructed primarily by KTRT Joint Venture. The tower has served as an icon of modern Taiwan ever since its opening, and received the 2004 Emporis Skyscraper Award. Fireworks launched from Taipei 101 feature prominently in international New Year's Eve broadcasts and the structure appears frequently in travel literature and international media.

Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The building was architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition. Its postmodernist approach to style incorporates traditional design elements and gives them modern treatments. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. A multi-level shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of fashionable stores, restaurants and clubs.

Taipei 101 is owned by the Taipei Financial Center Corporation (TFCC) and managed by the International division of Urban Retail Properties Corporation based in Chicago. The name originally planned for the building, Taipei World Financial Center, until 2003, was derived from the name of the owner. The original name in Chinese was literally, Taipei International Financial Center.

Features and Amenities
Double-decker elevators presentObservation floor is availableOne of the city's famous buildingsTuned mass damper is installed

Facts
The highest section of the spire was installed on 9 October 2003. At the official ceremony on 17 October, Taipei's mayor Ma Ying-Jeou fastened a golden bolt to signify the official topping-out. Before the spire was installed there was a separate topping-out ceremony on July 1st, 2003 for completion to the roof level. The president of Taiwan and the mayor of Taipei participated in the event.

This is one of the few buildings in the world equipped with double-deck elevators. Contained within is a circular 660-tonne tuned mass damper to counter seismic and wind-induced movement. It is constructed from 41 steel plates, is suspended from eight steel cables, rests on eight viscous dampers and can move five feet laterally in any direction. It is the largest and heaviest of its type in the world. The tower's spire contains two, 4.5-tonne tuned mass dampers to reduce wind-induced fatigue. At the time of construction, the building held the record for the greatest height to which concrete had been pumped. The lift brakes are ceramic rather than steel (as found in high-performance cars) for greater efficiency. Taipei 101 was the world's first skyscraper to break the half-kilometer mark in height. Taipei 101 is the world's tallest building, surpassing the height of the in Kuala Lumpur in late August 2003. The Taiwan Stock Exchange rents 7 floors in the building. The main damper is visible from the restaurant and bar which encircles the space around the ball. The design is inspired by traditional Chinese architecture, with a shape resembling a pagoda. The sectioned tower is also inspired by the bamboo plant, which is a model of strength, resilience, and elegance.

The tower's design specifications are based on the number "8", a lucky number in traditional Chinese culture; it features 8 upward-flaring sections, and is supported by 8 supercolumns. The Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai also employs this numerology in its design. Most aspects of the design, layout and planning were reviewed and approved by a Feng Shui master. The elevators are the fastest in the world, rising at 1008 meters per minute (60.48 km/hour) and descending at 610 m/min (36.6 km/hour). The top speeds are 34 percent faster than the previous world's fastest elevators in Yokohama Landmark Tower. Each elevator is designed with an aerodynamic body, pressurization and emergency braking systems, and the world's first triple-stage anti-overshooting system. The cost for each elevator is over $US 2 million. Exterior construction elevators and the construction elevator shaft were fully disassembled in late February of 2004.

Inside the base of the tower is the large Taipei 101 Mall, which opened before the tower on November 13th, 2003. Taipei 101 holds the world record in three of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's height categories: tallest to the structural top, tallest to the roof, and highest occupied floor. The outdoor observation deck is the highest in the world. It is expected to be surpassed by the outdoor deck in the Shanghai World Financial Center. This was the first world's tallest building completed in the 21st century. The next will most likely be Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates. The 89th floor holds an indoor observation area, and an outdoor observation deck is located on the 91st floor. ==References

==