Taipei 101

[thop]

The Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan is gonna be the highest building in the world soon (2004) with a total height of 508m. The most fascinating thing it about it is probably the massive ball (steel, plated with gold) weighing 730 tons that will be swinging freely inside the tower to stabilize it.

You can see it in the upright picture here:

[agallag]

The CN tower in Toronto is still taller at 553m (1,815.5 feet). It's not considered in the running because it's not an office building. It's just the tallest "free standing structure". It was finished in 1975.

http://www.wonderclub.com/WorldWonders/CNTowerHistory.html

[Kooldino]

How does the ball keep it stable?
How are they gonna get a 730 ton ball up there?
Wouldn't it scare you to know that the 730 ton ball could fall at any time?

[Novdid]

That would be like being afraid a car will hit you everytime you're outside...

[Wombat]

Almost every skyscraper built in the last few decades has a large counterweight. This is not a new concept, and it's nothing to be afraid of. The only real complication is making sure that it handles earthquakes, and they've got that taken care of as well.

[KvHagedorn]

Yes. In Taiwan, earthquakes are not an insignificant threat. I wouldn't want to be close to that thing in an 8.0 quake, no matter how heavy its ball is or how low it hangs.

[GT98]

Originally posted by KvHagedorn
Yes. In Taiwan, earthquakes are not an insignificant threat. I wouldn't want to be close to that thing in an 8.0 quake, no matter how heavy its ball is or how low it hangs.

I read an article that they designed it to survie a 2500 year event earthquake. Sorta like a hundred year flood line?

[Chrono_Wanderer]

speaking of taiwan and earthquakes...

anyone remembered few years ago there was a huge earthquake in central taiwan? (i think it was around 5 yrs ago).

yea and i think it was around 8.0

[SitFlyer]

Date-Time 1999 09 20 17:47:18 UTC
Location 23.77N 120.98E
Depth 33.0 kilometers
Magnitude 7.7
Region TAIWAN
Reference 35 miles (50 km) WSW of Hua-lien, Taiwan

http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/99_EVENTS/990920174719/index.html

[Marshmallowman]

yep, then ram got very expensive for quite a while

[The PIT]

Problem is they're I nice Target aren't they. How easy is it to get people out????

[GuchiGuh]

bugger it....remember people last year the cranes from that tower fell down and wooped some peoples?
Guess wot...those p.o.s. cranes come from australia~
Happy engineering australia (ohhhh how i hate it)

[UtwigMU]

Check Millennium tower (Hong Kong) proposal by Norman Foster. Or check the new WTC proposal.

Although, I'm with Jencks here: bigger the building, lower architectural value.

[Chrono_Wanderer]

Taiwan is less likely to get a terrorist attack. (Okay chinese invasion doesn't count besides, I bet the chinese government will never attack Taiwan anyways. Yea. they have been speaking about it, but to actually do the action, I doubt that. They won't risk to screw their crazy booming economy up)

IMO the China Bank (in Hong Kong) by I.M. Pai is one of a kind and I love it. Seems like he really like to use triangular structures for his building. (Also note the glass pyramid outside Musee du Louvre).

Speaking of the HK Millennium Tower, i think it's pure madness

[SpiralDragon]

Originally posted by Kooldino
How does the ball keep it stable?
How are they gonna get a 730 ton ball up there?
Wouldn't it scare you to know that the 730 ton ball could fall at any time?

still...thats better then two 730 ton balls over your head (AC/DC any one)