While in Taipei, I really wanted to go over to Taipei 101. Until recently, it was the tallest building in the world. Now it is second tallest, but it still is the tallest green building in the world.
The main tower features a series of eight segments of eight floors each. In Chinese-speaking cultures, the number eight is associated with abundance, prosperity and good fortune. The repeated segments simultaneously recall the rhythms of an Asian pagoda (a tower linking earth and sky) , a stalk of bamboo (an icon of learning and growth), and a stack of ancient Chinese money boxes (a symbol of abundance). Whether this is all true or not, I have no idea. But that is what is believed about the tower's design.
Andy and I got our picture taken. Thankfully, they were shooting the picture up on screens on the wall while we waited in line, so I was able to take a picture and not buy it later.
Taipei 101 has the fastest elevator in the world. In 37 seconds you go from floor 5 to floor 89. They have a nice little replica of the building which shows the elevator ascending or descending. It kind of takes your mind off of the instant ear popping pain. They also have a nice ceiling in the elevator that glows like stars.
Taipei 101 is designed to withstand the typhoon winds and earthquake tremors common in the area. And it's partly in thanks to this bad boy, a 728 steel ton pendulum that serves as a tuned mass damper, the largest in the world.
Just to give you an idea of where it is located.
There is an outside observation deck a few floors up from the indoor observation deck.
In order to get to the elevator which goes down, you have to pass a mass store which sells all this coral in different designs. It really is beautiful, but I don't know how anyone can afford any of the pieces.
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