Taipei 101: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Taipei 101 (臺北 101) is a 106-floor skyscraper in Hsinyi (Xìnyì) District, Taipei, Taiwan. Its original name was Taipei Financial Center, based on its official Chinese name, Taipei International Financial Grand Tower-Building (臺北國際金融大樓).

External Elevation

Taipei 101 has 101 stories above ground (hence the name) and five under ground. It holds three out of the four official World's Tallest Building titles designated by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The four categories are:

• Ground to pinnacle - currently held by the Sears Tower (529 m = 1736ft)
• Ground to structural top - formerly held by the Petronas Twin Towers (452 m = 1483ft)
• Ground to roof - formerly held by the Sears Tower (431 m = 1430ft)
• Ground to highest occupied floor - formerly held by the Sears Tower

Taipei 101's measures, respectively, are 508 m = 1667 ft (pinnacle & structural top); 448 m = 1470 ft (roof); and 438 m = 1437 ft (highest floor).

The tower topped out to the roof, at 448 meters, on July 1, 2003. In a ceremony presided over by Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, the pinnacle was fitted on October 17 2003, allowing it to surpass the Petronas Towers by 50 meters (165 feet). [1] It may not hold the record for very long, as several other buildings in construction, all planned for completion before 2009, would surpass Taipei 101, such as Union Square Phase 7 in Hong Kong, Shanghai World Financial Center, Freedom Tower in New York City or Burj Dubai.

In many aspects, the new building is the most technologically advanced skyscraper constructed to date. The building will feature fiber-optic and satellite Internet connections allowing speeds up to 1 gigabyte per second. Toshiba will be supplying the world's two fastest elevators which will run at a top speed of 1008 meters per minute. An 800 ton tuned mass damper is held at the 88th floor, stabilizing the tower against earthquakes, typhoons, and winds.

The interior of the tower includes a six-floor retail mall with shopping, interest attractions, and dining. The architecture of the retail mall includes both retro gothic style pinnacles and modern industrial structures.

There are several floors already used for business offices and non-commercial dwellings. The elevators for taking tourists to the top are not scheduled for completion until the end of 2004, the same time that the rest of the office tower is scheduled to open.

Prior to construction some worried that the building would be vulnerable to the earthquakes common in Taiwan. On March 31, 2002, an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale caused a construction crane to fall from the 56th floor of the building (at the time, the highest floor), killing five. Nonetheless, the highrise tower is designed to endure earthquakes above seven on the Richter scale, and once-in-a-century super typhoons.