Taipei 101

Address

Sung-Chih Road

Taipei, Taipei Shih

Basic Information

More Information

There is a fault line just 660 feet from this tower, but the designers aren't worried about it, saying it hasn't been active in 45,000 years.
The building's spire is 60 feet tall.
Like many buildings its size, Taipei 101 has a tuned mass dampener to counteract swaying caused by earthquakes, wind, typhoons, and other causes. It is a massive solid steel ball about 60 feet in diameter, hanging from cables on the 87th floor of the building.
The foundation of the building is more than 250 feet deep.

September, 2002: Five people were killed when an earthquake shook two cranes loose from the building.
October 18, 2003: The spire was raised into place, making this the tallest building in the world.
November 21, 2003: Pieces of metal fell from the roof of the skyscraper, hitting two people walking below, smashing car windshields, and littering an elementary school playground.
December 25, 2004: The daredevil known as "Spiderman" climbed the outside of the building. Alain Robert scaled the building as a publicity stunt during the building's official opening week. He is normally arrested for pulling such stunts illegally, but this time he was recruited. He also normally doesn't have any safety gear. This time he had a rope.
November 20, 2005: An Australian man, Paul Crake, became the first person to win a race up the stairs to the top of Taipei 101. He completed the run in ten minutes, 29 seconds.
July 21, 2007: The Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates surpassed this building as the tallest in the world.