TAIPEI 101

A Case Study
A
structural marvel created by combining the
best of all structural systems

BASIC INFORMATION

Constructed from: 1999 - 2004

Architect: C.Y. Lee & Partners
Structural Engineer: Shaw Shieh
Structural Consultant: Thornton-Tomasetti
Engineers, New York City
Total Height: 508m, No. of Floors: 101
Cost: $ 700 million
Building Use: Office Complex + Mall
Parking Area: 83,000 m2
Basement Storeys: 5

BUILDING FRAME

Materials
60 ksi Steel, 60 MPa Concrete.
Systems
Tube in Tube + Outrigger Trusses,
Moment Frames,
Belt Trusses.
Lateral Load Resistance
Braced Moment Frame in the buildings core,
Outrigger from core to perimeter,
Perimeter Moment Frames,
Shear Walls- Basement and first 8 floors.

CHALLENGES FACED

Weak soil conditions

Structure tends to sink.
Typhoon winds
High lateral displacement tends to topple
structure.
Large potential earthquakes
Generates considerable shear forces.

WIND DESIGN

Skyscrapers must be flexible in strong winds

yet remains rigid enough to prevent large
sideways movements i.e. lateral drift.
Flexibility prevents structural damage while
resistance ensures comfort for the occupants
and protection of glass, curtain walls and
other features.
36 columns support Taipei 101, which
includes 8 mega-columns
heavily packed with
69
Mpa concrete.

WIND DESIGN: CONTD

At every 8th floor,

outrigger trusses
connect the columns
in the buildings core
to those on the
exterior.

These features
combine with the
solidity of its
foundation make
Taipei 101 very stable.

WIND DESIGN: CONTD

The foundation is
reinforced by 380 piles
driven 80 m into the
ground, extending as far
as 30 m into the bed
rock.
Taipei 101 can withstand
gale winds having speed
of 216 km/h.
The structure is
reinforced by a Moment
Frame System linking the
columns on all floors.

SEISMIC DESIGN

The worlds largest passive tuned mass

wind and earthquake damper (weighs
660 metric tons with a diameter of 5.5
m) suspended from level 92 down to
level 88, helps to ensure stability and
comfort for the occupiers.

As earthquake waves pass

through the structure, ball
remains stationary; its
inertia helps to counteract
the movements of the
building around it, thus
dampening the earthquake.

THANK YOU