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Top 8 Incredible Facts about the Taipei 101, Taiwan

Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan. It shares maritime borders with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south.

One of the well-known landmarks in this city is Taipei 101. This is a tall skyscraper that was once the tallest in the world. The title was taken by Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Taipei 101 tower remains one of the tallest green buildings in the world. It was designed to be energy efficient.

The double-pane windows block heat from the outside by 50%. The building uses recycled water too.

This is the place a majority of Taiwanese people gather for the New Year’s Eve fireworks display.

Read more incredible facts in the top 8 facts below.

1. The Taipei 101 Tower is earthquake resistant

Photo by Jack View – Wikimedia

Taiwan is prone to earthquakes, an occurrence that happens every year. Earthquakes are not the only natural disaster, there are frequent typhoons too.

These factors would automatically rule out the idea of having tall skyscrapers in the region.

However, Taipei defied the norm and has one of the tallest and greenest buildings in the world. The clock on this building runs on energy drawn from the building’s wind shear.

This was achieved by C. Y. Lee & Partners and Evergreen Consulting Engineering construction companies that designed Taipei 101.

Taipei 101 is an architectural masterpiece that is flexible and structurally resistant.

The construction company designed Taipei 101 to withstand typhoon winds and earthquake tremors. They used high-performance steel and columns as well as concrete.

2. The Taipei 101 Tower is the most stable in the world

Photo by Some form of human – Wikimedia

Taipei 101has a 660-tonne damper that has been suspended from the 92nd to 87th floor. It is the largest damper ball in the world, consists of 41 circular steel plates of varying diameters.

This damper neutralizes the effects of strong winds during typhoon season. It also gives the building a solid concrete foundation making it resistant to earthquakes.

The flexibility and resistance of the damper allow Taipei 101 to withstand gale-force winds and the strongest earthquakes the region has ever experienced.

Unfortunately, this achievement came at a cost. In 2002, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Taipei.

While the building was not damaged, two cranes on the 56^th floor toppled and five people lost their lives.

3. The façade of Taipei 101 Tower pays tribute to Chinese culture

One obvious feature of the Taipei 101 is its blue-green shade as well as the shape of the building.

The design of the building resembles bamboo indigenous to Taiwan. This design and the building pays tribute to Taiwan and the local Chinese culture.

Taipei 101 has eight sections that incline outwards in a pagoda-style. Each section has eight floors which is a very lucky number in local culture.

Further, the building has large circular protrusions on each side that symbolize old Chinese coins.

The architects of this building considered the renewal of time in Chinese culture. This was factored in the number of floors it has, 101.

It was built in the new century and the beginning of a new century. Traditionally 100 is the number of perfection as well as its use in digital technology.  

4. Taipei 101 Tower is one of the most visited landmarks in Taiwan

Photo by Wpcpey – Wikimedia

In 2019, Taipei 101 opened its top floor to the public for the first time. During the opening, only 36 people were given access each day. These people had to book a day before.

The 91st-floor is where the observatory section is. It is 460 metres above sea level. To access this area, one will be required to wear safety equipment like a safety belt buckled to the railing.

Taipei 101 has office spaces, a shopping mall, several restaurants. Additionally, it has one of the world’s fastest elevators.

Other than the observatory tower which is a top attraction, visitors and locals love going to the malls and food courts.

Taipei 101 hosts the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display. While the building is no longer the tallest in the world, Taipei 101 remains to be a cultural icon in Taiwan.

5. This building portrays religious symbolism

Photo by AnthonySantiago101 – Wikimedia

Taipei 101 has curled ruyi figures that appear all over the structure as a design motif. The architects incorporated this traditional design using modern industrial metal.

The ruyi is a charm of ancient Chinese origin associated in art with heavenly clouds. It implies healing, protection and fulfilment.

This charm is used in celebrations of the attainment of new career heights.

Taipei’s 101 wide curved roof of the adjoining mall ends in a colossal ruyi that shades pedestrians. Each ruyi ornament on the exterior of the Taipei 101 tower stands at least 26 ft tall.

During the nighttime, a bright yellow gleam from its pinnacle casts Taipei 101 in the role of a torch upholding the ideals of liberty and welcome.

There is a park next to Taipei 101 that adds to the symbolism of time. The park has a circular design that resembles the shape of a giant sundial.  

. The tower itself casts the shadow to mark afternoon hours for the building’s occupants. The park’s design is echoed in a clock that stands at its entrance.

6. The Taipei 101 has one of the fastest elevators

The Taipei 101 has two high-speed observatory single-deck elevators manufactured by Toshiba in cooperation with Kone. These two companies manufacture the machines in almost all of their elevators.

The fastest speed of the elevators is 1,010 meters per minute. This takes 37 seconds to get to the 89^th floor from the 5^th floor.

Other fast elevators can be found in Shanghai Tower, Shanghai and Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre. The latter has double-decker elevators.

7. There is more than one observation deck on Taipei 101

Photo by Young Master Sphynx – Wikimedia

Taipei 101 has a series of observation decks on its upper floors. They are on the 88^th, 89^th and 91^st floors. The 88^th mainly allow visitors to have a close view of the tuned mass damper.

The damper sphere is hung between levels 88 and 87, and level 89 is an enclosed observation deck. It provides 360-degree views of the city of Taipei from a height of 382 meters.

The Indoor Observatory offers a comfortable space with large windows that have UV protection. There is also recorded voice tours done in eight languages as well as informative displays and special exhibits.

The Indoor Observatory is open thirteen hours a day, this is however dictated by the weather of the day.

8. Taipei 101 is the place to be on New Year’s Eve

Photo by Li Yu-Chih – Wikimedia

The New Year’s Eve show in Taipei is hosted at the Taipei City Hall, which has a beautiful view of Taipei 101 when lit up with fireworks.

It is a popular location for crowds to gather to see the fireworks display at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

Between 2004 and 2006, the annual fireworks show at Taipei 101 was led by the chronological display of numerals in lights on each section on huge panels displays to count down the last eight seconds to midnight.

But since 2007, the building has been completely darkened, then fireworks begin to launch sequentially from the lower to upper sections.

Other than hosting New Year’s celebrations, Taipei 101 is the site of many special events. It hosts art exhibits on the observatory floors.

The building has also been visited by prominent global leaders like former US president Bill Clinton. He visited the building in 2005 where he signed copies of his autobiography.

That same year. Taipei 101 displayed the formula E=mc2 in lights to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Einstein’s theory of relativity.