Do you know this new skyscraper?

Taipei 101

Taipei 101 (臺北 101) is a 101-floor skyscraper in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. Its original name was Taipei Financial Center, based on its official Chinese name: the Taipei International Financial Building (臺北國際金融大樓). It is the tallest building in the world by three of the four standards designated by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

[…] Taipei 101 has 101 stories above ground (hence the name) and five under ground.

The building holds the records for:

• Ground to structural top: 508 m (1667 ft), a record formerly held by the Petronas Twin Towers at 452 m (1483ft).
• Ground to roof: 448 m (1470 ft). Formerly held by the Sears Tower (442 m = 1454ft)
• Ground to highest occupied floor: 438 m (1437 ft). Formerly held by the Sears Tower.

It does not hold the record for

• Ground to pinnacle, which is held by the Sears Tower 529 m (1703ft).

[…] The entire tower was opened on December 31, 2004, amidst an extravagant New Year’s celebration, complete with live performances and fireworks. President Chen Shui-bian, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng cut the ribbon. Several floors are already in retail and office use.

Total buildable area will be 450,000 m² with:

• 214,000 m² of office space
• 77,500 m² of retail space
• 73,000 m² of parking space

The tower includes a six-floor retail mall with shops, restaurants, and other attractions. The architecture of the retail mall includes both retro gothic-style pinnacles and modern industrial structures.

[source: Wikipedia]

Tuned mass damper

A tuned mass damper is a device mounted in structures to prevent discomfort, damage or outright structural failure by vibration. Typically, the dampers are huge concrete blocks mounted in skyscrapers or other structures, and moved in opposition to the resonant frequency of the structure by means of springs, fluid or pendulums.

[…] Tuned mass dampers stabilize against violent motion caused by harmonic vibration. The presence of a tuned damper forces a comparatively lightweight structure to overcome the inertia of a great mass, such as a giant concrete block, placed in such a way that the mass only begins to move in one direction just as the structure begins to move in the other, thus damping the structure’s oscillation. The counterweight may be mounted using massive spring coils and hydraulic dampers, and if the axis of the vibration is fundamentally horizontal or torsional, leaf springs and pendulum-mounted weights are employed. Tuned mass dampers are engineered, or “tuned” to specifically counter harmful frequencies of oscillation or vibration.

[…] A 660-ton tuned mass damper is held at the 88th floor, stabilizing the tower against earthquakes, typhoons, and wind. The damper can reduce up to 40% of the tower’s movements.

[source: Wikipedia]