Taipei 101

Taiwan is one of the first countries in the world starting in the new year and in Taipei new year is celebrated with spectacular fireworks at the Taipei 101 skyscraper. Taipei 101 was the world’s tallest building from it´s opening in 2004 until 2010, when the 502,9 m skyscraper has been displaced by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai with its 828 m. The Taipei 101, formerly called Taipei World Financial Center has been constructed in the sense of Feng Shui, which should protect tenants from negative influence.

The Taipei 101 is full of symbolism. While the number 100 is a traditional number of perfection, 101 (100 + 1)symbolizes the renewal of time and is one better then 100. Another symbol used in construction is the chinese lucky number 8. As in many cultures the 7 is a lucky number, the 8 is one better then the lucky seven and is associated with prosperity and good luck. The main tower has been designed with eight segments of eight floors each and has been inspired by bamboo and Asian pagodas, which are meant to link earth and sky. To withstand heavy typhoon winds and earthquakes, which are common in this area of the world, lots of special techniques has been used in the construction, like the enormous tuned mass damper at top of Taipei 101.

Enjoy the spectacular fireworks at Taipei 101, New Year celebration 2008:

Taipei 101 fireworks computer simulation: