Taipei 101 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids TAIPEI 101
臺北101
Taipei 101 Tower in August 2008
Alternative names	Taipei Financial Center
Record height
Tallest in the world from 2004 to 2010
Preceded by	Petronas Towers
Surpassed by	Burj Khalifa
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Architectural style	Postmodern
Location	Xinyi Special District, Xinyi District Taipei, Taiwan
Coordinates	25°2′1″N 121°33′54″E / 25.03361°N 121.56500°E / 25.03361; 121.56500
Construction started	1999
Completed	2004
Opening	31 December 2004
Cost	NT$ 58 billion (Template:US $)
Owner	Taipei Financial Center Corporation
Management	Urban Retail Properties
Height
Architectural	509.2 m (1,671 ft)
Tip	509.2 m (1,671 ft)
Roof	449.2 m (1,474 ft)
Top floor	439.2 m (1,441 ft)
Observatory	391.8 m (1,285 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	101 5 below ground
Floor area	412,500 m2 (4,440,100 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	61 Toshiba/KONE elevators, including double-deck shuttles and 2 high speed observatory elevators
Design and construction
Architect	C.Y. Lee & Partners
Main contractor	Samsung C&T KTRT Joint Venture

Taipei 101 (Chinese: 臺北101) is 101-floor building in Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan). In 2004, it replaced the Willis Tower (which used to be called the Sears Tower) as the tallest completed building in the world. However, in 2010, it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Taipei 101 holds records for:

• Ground to structural top: 509 m (1,671 ft). The record was formerly held by the Petronas Twin Towers at 452 m (1,483 ft)
• Ground to roof: 449 m (1,474 ft). The record was formerly held by the Sears Tower at 442 m (1,451 ft)
• Ground to highest occupied floor: 439 m (1,441 ft). The record was formerly held by the Sears Tower
• Fastest elevator speed: 16.83 m/s (37.5 miles/hour or 60.4 km/h)
• Largest count-down clock on New Year's Eve

Taipei 101 does not hold the record for tallest building from ground to pinnacle. The Sears Tower has two television antennas on top of it, making its height from the ground to the top of the taller antenna 527 m (1,729 ft).

Effect on Taipei's economy

Taipei 101 is the recognized symbol of Taipei city, it brings a lot of tourists every day. The location of Taipei 101 is at the southern end of the Xinyi District, the newest area of Taipei city. Besides the tower, the base of the building houses includes a multi-level shopping mall, food court, various restaurants and stores, and an international grocery store. Every New Year's Eve, Taipei 101 is host to an impressive fireworks display that attracts people from all over Taiwan and other neighboring countries like Japan and Singapore to the area.

Observatory Information

The Taipei 101 Observatory is open every day from 9AM to 10PM. The observatory is spread over 4 floors where visitors can enjoy the fantastic scenery and learn about the engineering marvel that is Taipei 101, the tallest green building in the world. Visitors can buy the tickets on the 5F Taipei 101 Mall, the general ticket costs NT$500 per each and the student ticket (with valid ID) costs NT$450 per each, all children (under 115 cm) are free. After purchasing the tickets, visitors may take the Guinness World Record breaking high-speed elevator to the observatory on the 89TH floor.

The 88th floor is the Beauty of Taiwan Multimedia Corridor, Super Big Wind Damper, Treasure Sky, the hallway connecting the two decks is designed to setting the natural beauty of Taiwan, providing 270-degree views of well-known scenic locations in Taiwan, leading to the engineering marvel known as a wind damper, a 5.5 meters diameter, 660 ton weight suspended within the building to offset the force of wind and help 101 stand upright. Also included is Treasury Sky, a collection of unique jewel crafts.

The 89th floor is the Indoor Observatory, visitors can learn about the design process and construction of Taipei 101 and other similar large-scale building projects around the world, including a free audio tour in eleven languages, as well as high-powered field glasses, snacks, and professional photography service.

The 91st floor is an outdoor Observatory. The outdoor observatory is accessible by stairs from the 89th floor. From the outside, it's possible to view the spire at the 508-meter-high apex, but tourists need to be careful of the strong winds. Inside the building, on the 91F, is a small theater showcasing films about the building and the annual New Year fireworks display. The 91st floor is only open on days with good weather conditions.

Survive ways from earthquake and typhoons

Taipei 101 has some of the most modern safety security of anything ever built, requiring a challenging combination of strength and flexibility, which allow it to withstand winds up to 216 km/h (134 mph), and earthquakes of a magnitude of 9.0. It has higher safer ratings than Taiwan’s nuclear power plants.

The “double stairstep”design reduce the potentially dangerous oscillations caused by high winds by about 30-40%, allowing the structure to stand, even under the force of relentless typhoons. And by now, they’ve become a recognizable design element of the structure.

Taipei 101's tuned mass damper

The shopping mall in Taipei 101.

Related pages

• List of tallest buildings in the world
• List of tallest structures in the world

Images for kids

• 

  E=mc2 lighting on 19 April 2005.

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  Taipei 101 Mall

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  Taipei 101, first from right, compared with other tallest buildings.

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  Taipei 101 at twilight

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  Taipei 101 from afar

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  Taipei 101 viewed from below

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  Tip of Taipei 101 illuminated on a Sunday night (purple)

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  Taipei 101 dominating the skyline at night

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  Tip of Taipei 101

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  Taipei 101 next to Taipei Nan Shan Plaza

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  Entrance to Taipei 101 Observation Deck

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  Taipei 101 next to Taipei Nan Shan Plaza

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  Taipei 101 New Year fireworks in 2016, with Taipei Nan Shan Plaza on the side, nearing completion

See also

In Spanish: Taipei 101 para niños