TAIWAN: Taipei 101
March 25, 2008Taipei 101:
I have never been interested in big modern buildings. I could care less about skyscrapers. But Taipei 101 was well worth the visit. At 508 meters in height and 101 floors, it’s the tallest occupied building in the world. The elevator was the fastest in the world. We climbed 89 floors in 37 seconds. Some peoples’ ears ring while on the turbo elevator ride. The ride downwards is slower. The elevator moves at a rate of 60km/hour.
I didn’t know that tall buildings sway (move around slightly). There is a big ball in the building called a wind damper. The 5.5 meter wind damper weighs 660 metric tons and stabilizes the building from winds of up to 60m/second.
Impressive!