TA PEI 101

Himika P. & Simrit R.

INTRO
● Standing tall and sturdy in the Xinyi District of Taipei, TAIPEI 101 sets the expectations for
sustainable skyscraper development.
● TAIPEI 101 had achieved a LEED Platinum certification for Operations and Maintenance
back in 2011
● Not only had it previously held the title of “world’s largest building”, but it was also given the title
of “world’s largest green building”.
● Taipei 101 is often a hub for new year’s celebration as “101” also represents January 1st.
● Building function: Office
● Construction started in 1999 and the building was completed in 2004
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF TAIWAN
● Taiwan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the most active fault line on the planet.
○ It causes over 90% of the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions around the world.
○ Geologists have found 42 active faults in Taiwan. The most dangerous one is the
convergence of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate.
● Taiwan is situated at the boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate toward the East, and the
Eurasian Plate toward the West.
○ The Philippine plate moves in the west direction. When it comes in contact with the
Eurasian plate, it goes underneath the crust, resulting in the rising of Taiwan’s Coastal
Range. This area is classified as a subduction zone.
○ It has a convergence rate of ~50 mm/yr across Taiwan
● Taipei 101 is only 660 feet from a major fault line. Therefore it is crucial for Taipei 101 to
contain structural mitigation modifications.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT & POLICIES
● The Taiwanese government plans to necessitate seismic
hazard assessments of all commercial and residential
buildings.
○ The government has administered seismic hazard
evaluations on almost all 27,000 government
buildings and schools
● The Government plans to provide:
○ NT$6,000 - NT$8,000 for seismic hazard
assessments of residential buildings
○ NT$400,000 for detailed seismic hazard
assessments
○ NT$55,000 for planning the reconstruction of a
building Attribution: 總統府
DESIGN AND FOUNDATIONS

● TAIPEI 101 rises from its base in a series of eight-story

modules that flare outward
● The building resembles a form of a Chinese pagoda
● the tower features double-paned green glass curtain
walls that are highly reflective in blocking solar heat
gain by 50 percent
● TAIPEI 101 contains a 728-ton tuned mass damper
(TMD), a large spherical steel pendulum that offsets
lateral movements caused by strong winds
● Reinforced by 380 piles driven 80m into the ground -
1.5m in diameter
WHAT MAKES IT EARTHQUAKE PROOF?

● Taipei 101 uses a a massive internal damper to

control swaying and minimize the possibility of
structural damage or failure
● The goal of this damper is not to prevent
swaying in general, but to attempt to control
the movement caused by earthquakes
● the pendulum counteracts the building’s
movements
● This tuned damper weighs 728 tons and is
suspended between the 87th and 92nd floors
CONCLUSION
● Taipei 101 holds the ranking of the 10th tallest building in the world.
● This skyscraper has 101 floors, hence the name Taipei 101.
● Although Taipei 101 does not hold the record for the most tallest building in the world, it does in
fact hold the record for the most greenest building in the world.
○ Taipei 101 has reduced energy consumption by 33.41 million kWh, saving $2 million US
annually
● Taipei 101 has proven its success by withstanding earthquakes with magnitudes greater than
6.0.
● Taipei 101’s success stories are on account of the designers, Taiwanese architecture firm C.Y.
Lee & Partners
Citations
Adams, Dallon. “The Most Earthquake-Resistant Structures on Earth.” Digital Trends, Digital Trends, 15 June 2017,
www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/earthquake-resistant-buildings/.

Agency, Central News. “Taiwan Government to Step up Building Safety Requirements.” Taiwan News, Taiwan News, 10 Feb. 2018,
www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3360690.

Dove, Laurie L. Will Buildings Ever Be Truly Earthquake-Proof? 2 Sept. 2020,

science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/buildings-earthquake-proof2.htm.

The Geology of Taiwan, twgeog.ntnugeog.org/en/geology/.

Hao, Ming, et al. “Crustal Movement and Strain Distribution in East Asia Revealed by GPS Observations.” Nature News, Nature Publishing
Group, 14 Nov. 2019, www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-53306-y.

Henden, Amalie. “Ring of Fire Map: Countries in the Ring of Fire - Why so Many Earthquakes RIGHT NOW?” Express.co.uk, Express.co.uk, 29
Aug. 2018,
www.express.co.uk/news/world/1010002/Ring-of-Fire-map-What-countries-are-in-Ring-of-Fire-why-are-so-many-earthquakes-happening.
Citations (continued)
“Just Fun Facts.” Fun and Interesting Site, 1 Jan. 1966, justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-taipei-101/.

“Taipei 101 Tower Named 'World's Toughest' Building by Popular Mechanics.” Building Design + Construction, 22 Oct. 2015,
www.bdcnetwork.com/taipei-101-tower-named-worlds-toughest-building-popular-mechanics.

“TAIPEI 101.” The Skyscraper Center, www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/taipei-101/117.

Taiwan Tectonics and Seismicity = Regional Tectonics, www.tectonics.caltech.edu/taiwan/regional.htm.

Zimmer, Alex. “Disaster-Proof: Taipei 101.” Huckberry, 22 May 2020, huckberry.com/journal/posts/taipei-101.