But in a triumph of modern engineering, the soaring Taipei 101, once the world’s tallest skyscraper, emerged from the island’s latest seismic event undamaged.
A 660-ton spherical device called a tuned mass damper swings like a giant pendulum in the skyscraper's upper floors.
“It’s essentially a very large counterweight,” explained Stefan Al, author of “Supertall: How the World’s Tallest Buildings Are Reshaping Our Cities and Our Lives,” in a phone interview.
“In the case of Taipei 101, it’s 660 tons.
Lee & Partners, Taipei 101 was the world’s tallest building from 2004 until 2007, when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Persons:
Richard Chung TW, “ It’s, ”, Stefan Al, “, it’s, ” Al, Al, Lee
Organizations:
CNN, National Fire Agency, Lee & Partners
Locations:
Taiwan, Hualien County, Taipei, New York, Burj Khalifa, Dubai, ”, Indonesia, Chile