Taipei 101 - Wanna Get High?

It's not every day that you get to visit the tallest building in the world, but that's exactly what I did during my trip to Taiwan last month. Taipei 101 (that's "One-Oh-One", not "One-hundred-one") is, at least for now, the tallest building in the world. Measuring in at 101 stories (ironic, isn't it...) and a cool 1670.6ft (509.2 meters) tall, it's a smidge taller than the previous record holders - the Sears Tower and Petronas Towers. Like these that came before, holding the title will be short lived for 101. The Burj Dubai (which technically already is taller) is going to blow it away when completed in late 2009. Despite the inevitibility, nobody can take away the glory of this magnificent night and my visit to the top of the man-made-world.

I have to apologize in advance for my hideous photography, but it was dark, I was experimenting with long exposure times with my tabletop tripod (not so good when you don't have a table), and, well... Just enjoy them for what they are.

Taipei 101 at night. Too bad I botched the framing and got that dumb streetlight in the photo.

The tiered pagoda-like design of 101 is interesting, as it makes use of traditional Chinese architectural elements and cultural ideas, but still looks and feels quite modern. The main body of the building consists of 8 tiered segments, each comprised of 8 floors (8, of course, is a very lucky number in Chinese culture, and is said to bring prosperity). The floors of each tier are progressively tapered to create the appearance of a pagoda. The incorporation of traditional architectural elements is one of my favorite things about this building.

The odd thing to me about Taipei 101 is that there are no other tall buildings around it. I mean, there are no comparable buildings in the general vicinity. None! It just kind of sticks up out of the city sprawl like a giant monolithic anomaly. The tallest building in Taipei before 101 was built was the Shin Kong Life Tower and its mere 801 feet of inferiority.

The entrance to Taipei 101 uses 3 traditional Chinese coins to represent the '101' in the name.

As you might expect, there are a few other interesting elements to Taipei 101 besides its sheer height that make it unique. One of these is the elevators, which are claimed to be the fastest in the world. Featuring an aerodynamic spoiler system and a pressurized cabin (to prevent your ears from going *-pop-* aaaaarrrrrghhhhhh!!!), the elevator makes the trip up to the 89th floor observation deck in just over 30 seconds, reaching a top speed of about 38mph (that's around 55 ft/s, or 1010m/min as the signage indicates).

A scale model of the elevator system is on display in the observatory.

Up on the 91st floor is the outdoor observatory. The view reminds me of sitting in an airplane and looking down out of the window. I'm sure the view would be even more impressive in the daytime, or if I knew what I was looking at.

A night view from the outdoor observation deck of Taipei 101.

Now heading back down a few flights of stairs we come to the mass damper element, viewable on the 87th and 88th floors. Mass dampers (you can think of them like giant pendulums) are frequently used on very tall structures to reduce the amount of sway caused by wind and other natural forces (Taiwan has exposure to typhoons and earthquakes). They are tuned to dampen, or absorb, energy that builds up when a structure vibrates at its natural frequency (resonance). Of course, this is the largest mass damper ever constructed, weighing 728 tons.

The giant mass damper of Taipei 101. I'm kind of surprised that this is viewable by the public.

A closeup of the hydraulic cylinders.

Thick cables suspend the mass from the roof. What's with all that gold paint, anyways?

So what is this building actually used for, you ask? Well, besides a load of corporate offices, there is a super secret club - Summit 101 (on the 101st floor, no less), a handful of restaurants, and of course, a gigantic shopping mall. I guess no matter where you are in the world, it's all about bringing home the loot.

The cieling inside the lower level shopping mall is architecturally interesting. At least to me, anyways.

If Taipei wanted to put themselves on the world map, then building Taipei 101 sure got people's attention. Not only is it well known throughout the world, but easy tourist access virtually guarantees that a lot of visitors are going to pass through those doors and buy a ticket to ride the elevator.

So now I'm back to earth, livin' life at sea level once again. But I'll always remember the day I stood on top of the world, and had all of Taipei at my feet.

Taipei 101 and a scooter - two symbols of Taipei.

One last photo of Taipei 101. Careful, this photo could burn your retina if you stare too long.