Foto: Taipei 101 (bron: -)
Taiwan - Taipei 101 is a skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. Opened on December 31, 2004, it stands 508 meters tall (449 meters without the antenna) and was the world’s tallest building until July 2007, later surpassed by the Burj Khalifa. The original plan was 66 floors. The tower was designed as a symbol of prosperity for Taipei’s financial district. Construction began on January 13, 1998, but was delayed when it was later decided to extend it to 101 floors. Shortly after, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Taipei, toppling two cranes, causing five deaths, and delaying construction by seven months. Taiwan’s location on the boundary of two tectonic plates requires earthquake-resistant measures. Taipei 101 uses a tuned mass damper—a giant 800-ton spherical weight at the top that moves counter to the building’s sway. The elevators are among the fastest in the world, moving up at 60.5 km/h and down at 36.6 km/h. It is also one of the few buildings using double-deck elevators.
