This is our 5th Day in Taiwan and I must say that no one would ever come to Taiwan without even getting a glimpse or receiving gifts from the sky through the majestic and the tallest skyscraper in Taiwan, the Taipei 101!
Indeed, it is a blessing as soon as you reach the top, you will be awed by the scenic view from the top of Taipei 101 Observatory.
5th Floor – Ticket Booth & Elevator Entrance
Starting from 5th floor, where in you can purchase the ticket at the ticket office or you can claim here your pre purchased ticket made through online. In our case, we have booked for a priority pass before coming to Taipei so we have saved a lot of time, and skipped the long que in going to the elevator entrance.The elevator will take you to the 89th Floor for the Indoor Observatory. TAIPEI 101’s two high-speed elevators ascends at a speed of 1,010 m per minute. Ascending from the 5th floor takes only 37 seconds to the observatory at the 89th floor.
89th Floor – Indoor Observatory
This indoor observatory at 89th floor is located 382 meters above ground and provides a spectacular 360 degree view of Taipei’s skyline in every direction. There are a lot of facilities available here such as free Wi-Fi , multimedia guided tours by scanning the QR code, TAIPEI 101 gifts, arts, and music products, souvenirs, the world’s highest mail box, an ice cream and drinks bar, high powered binoculars, as well as the world’s largest and heaviest tuned mass damper, the only one in the world displayed for public visit.
88th Floor – Multimedia Gallery & Super Big Wind Damper
The corridor connecting between the 89th and 88th floors includes a constantly updated multimedia gallery exhibiting different contents. The corridor leads directly to the wind damper area, the key feature that keeps TAIPEI 101 secure and safe. The tuned mass damper of TAIPEI 101 is the world’s largest (with a diameter of 5.5 meters) and heaviest (660 metric tons dampers), and is fully displayed to allow visitors to take close-up shots of the structure.
91st Floor – Outdoor Obsevatory
The 91st Floor Outdoor Observatory, take the flight of stairs from the 89th floor. Here, you can feel the strong winds, enjoy the panoramic view, and also see close up the spire at the building’s 508-meter high apex. A theather on the 91st floor showss films of the construction of TAIPEI 101 as well as New Year fireworks.
Note : The Outdoor Observatory is opened only on certain occasions, and permission to it’s access is also depending on the outside weather condition.
Trivia : You would notice that the lighted bottom part of the tower tip changes its color depends on the day as listed below:
- Monday – Red
- Tuesday – Orange
- Wednesday – Yellow
- Thursday – Green
- Friday – Blue
- Saturday – Violet
- Sunday – Purple
And so you if you look at the above photo, it was taken on a Thursday evening.
11 Facts about TAIPEI 101
1. Building Height – 508 meters
2. World Records (2004) –
* Tallest Structure Height at 508 meters
* Tallest Occupied Floor at 438 meters
* Tallest Roof at 448 meters
3. The High-Speed Elevator –
Maximum speed of 1,010 meters per minute
4. Damper –
World’s biggest tuned mass damper, with a diameter of 5.5 meters and weight 660 metric tons. The damper is made of 41 layers of 12.5 cm thick solid steel plates, at costs of more than NT$ 132 million.
5. Three Hundred Eighty Piles –
TAIPEI 101’s foundation is fortified with 380 piles reaching the bedrock at depths below 80 meters into the bedrock. Each foundation pile is 150 cm in diameter and provides a bearing capacity of anywhere between 1,100 to 1,450 tons and securely pins the entire building to the firm bedrock below.
6. Fire Safety Facilities –
All floors are equipped with computerized fire prevention and extinguishing systems, safety evacuation corridors ans staircases. At eight floors above the 34th floor there are two emergency routes leading to two safety emergency rooms, where staff and visitors can wait for help to arrive.
7. LEED-EBOM Platinum Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2011
*World’s tallest green building (508m)
*Largest green building (approx. 150,000m2)
*Most-user green building (TAIPEI 101 has 90 tenants)
8. Double Glazing Glass Curtain Walls –
The total area of the double low-e glass curtain wall is 116,000m2. Each double low-e glass can bear the weight of 8 tons, and insulates against heat and ultraviolet rays, which is safe and eco-friendly.
9. Emergency Power Supply
In case of power shutdown, the building has emergency power supply that can provide up to 70% of the building’s power needs. The uninterupted power supply (UPS) ensures that the building’s control and security systems remain in operation before the emergency power generators start.
10. Earthquake Resistance
The building’s structure has been designed to withstand the strongest earthquakes of the last 2,500 years.
11. Vertical Transportation System
There are 50 elevators in Taipei 101 including 34 double-deck elevators, to achieve maximum efficiency of passenger transportation.
And so, I hope I have given you some informations of the World’s 2nd Tallest Building to date. ( First, is still Burj Khalifa in Dubai ,UAE)
Web Tickets: We have made our ticket booking through klook, you may visit below link:
Thanks for your time reading this article and for more visuals and photos of our tour in Taipei 101 you may watch us on our youtube channel below:
COVID-19 NOTE: Our trip in Taiwan were pre pandemic days and all information provided in this article is for reference only . Always check the government websites and airline materials before booking or traveling to your country of destination regarding their Covid-19 travel guides and protocols.
TravelUnnies 