Taipei 101 the worlds tallest skyscraper, 580m meters of the most high tech engineering and construction

on the planet. Mixing ancient values and cutting edge technology and taking the heart of Taiwan into the future. Designing and building the worlds tallest skyscraper is no easy task, but here in Taipei two of the most powerful forces of nature earthquake and typhoon combine to make going super tall a super challenge. Using world leading engineering and construction technique, Taipei 101 not so much conquer nature, but outsmart it. It is the only super tall building in the world thats designed in a seismically active zone. The result is a man made marvel, a unique megastructure of unprecedented size, shape and technology, built to withstand the very worst the nature can dish out. Taipei 101 is a benchmark of technological brilliance and innovation, a record breaking megastructure that defies nature, and put the small island of Taiwan firmly amongst the giants of global industry. skyscraper are building that goes beyond functionality, they are symbols of prosperity and power, icon of wealth and industrial might. Initially earmark is the centrepiece of the growing and glitzy xiongxiang district, the primary goal of the building is to be the best but not necessary the tallest. Long standing friend of harris, architect C.P wang from cy lee and associates comes into the project in the early stages. But three factors combined to make this project not only the tallest and the most visible in the world but also one of the most difficult to build. Taipei city is an inhospitable place to build a skyscraper, beneath the earth a thick layer of soft clay demands uniquely designed foundation. While above ground the threat of earthquake and typhoon requires a level of engineering and construction never before achieved. The structure has to be designed flexible enough to resist an earthquake but stiff enough to resist the typhoon. The construction will take 6 years, 2000 workers at any one time and 700 thousand tonnes of the most advanced steel and concrete ever made. Taipei 101 will be built to withstand earthquake and typhoon, but it also need to withstand the test of time. To be a true landmark, it must look unique. It appearance mixes traditional Chinese icon bamboo for strength and resilience, a pagoda for serenity, the perfect form of an open flower and associated with the number 8. The result is this, 508 meters tall, 101 floors from ground level. Most skyscraper has exterior walls that are either straight up and down or sloping in. but Taipei 101 unique shape sees much of its exterior surface sloping out. Aesthetically, Taipei 101 is broken into sections resembling a stem of bamboo. But similarity with its fast growing super plant dont end here. Just like bamboo, the distinct structural section of 101 strengthens and support the whole building. each section operates as an independent unit, transferring the buildings massive weight away from the outside of the building and into the middle. The result is a stronger lighter and a more flexible tower. The island of Taiwan sits on the junction of two tectonic faults, where vast plates of the earth crust grind together causing earthquake. The entire island is unstable. Three smaller faults run directly under Taipei itself causing hundreds of earthquake every year. The effects of an earthquake on a giant skyscraper could be catastrophic, the entire building is shaken to its foundation, as intense waves of energy from the earth are transferred to every inch of the building structure. To withstand these shocks, the building has to be flexible to move with the quake and not against it. Superficial damage like broken windows or walls can be repaired but any damage to the internal steel framework of the building can be a disaster. At a facility, scientist use a multidimensional shape table to simulate a variety of different earthquake scenario, scale model of different structural configurations are tested, and the information gained helps to design buildings that are better to withstand the devastating impact of an earthquake. But

the threat of earthquake isnt the only natural force that the builders of Taipei have to worry about. Every summer, unstable equatorial air off the coast of Taiwan generates vicious typhoon that lash Taipei. These intense tropical storms with winds up to 200km per hour can literally blow a building to pieces. To clean each of 101 17000 windows custom built gondola dangle worker off the edge of the building. They can only work when the wind is under 10m/s and even then the cables have to be hooked into the walls to stop the gondola blowing off track. The awkward angle of 101 means that leverage counterweight system has to be used so that the workers can get close enough to the walls to work. To clean the entire building takes 4 teams of 2 workers 3 months. The job is so big that as soon as it finished, it is time to start again. Inside and out Taipei 101 pushes the boundaries. A unique looking building that has changed the face of construction, design and engineering forever. One of the tallest building in the world, in one of the most hazard prone place on earth, defying the powers of earth and wind to go where no building has gone before.