Taipei 101 was built as a symbol of national pride and economic achievement in Taiwan. Precautions were taken during construction to protect the building from earthquakes and typhoons common to the region, including using tuned mass dampers and steel reinforcement. Some studies have found an increase in seismic activity near Taipei 101 after it was built, suggesting its massive weight may have impacted a pre-existing blind fault beneath the structure. The success of Taipei 101's innovative engineering demonstrates how future super-tall skyscrapers can be built to withstand natural hazards in other major cities around the world.

1. Taipei 101
The Structural Engineering and Earthquake Repercussions
By: Emily Bousaada
GSCI 4999
Referenced Photographs Taken By: Emily Bousaada (2014)

2. Why was it made?
Stands as a monument of national pride
Tourist Attraction
Holds the World Trading Center in Taiwan
Represents the future
“Gradually grow into the layers of
robust nature, like flowers like the
pinnacle of wealth….”¹
Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design) Certified
Referenced Photographs Taken By: Emily Bousaada (2014)
Information and Other Referenced Photographs: "Taipei 101 Building Description." Taipei-101.com. Taipei Financial Center Corp., 2014. Web¹
Beginning sketch of
Taipei 101

3. What were the precautions?
Common Geohazards in Taiwan:
Earthquakes
Faults
Normal Sanjao Fault (W)
Typhoons
Volcanos
Tatun Volcano Group (N)
Kueishan Volcanic Island
Landslides
Hurricanes
Referenced Photographs: http://www.volcano.si.edu/
Information References: "Monitoring and Investigation of the Specific Geohazards in the Metropolitan Taipei." Central Geological Survey,
Location of Tatun Volcanic Group

4. Structural Engineering
Referenced Photographs Taken By: Emily Bousaada (2014)
Other Photographs: http://homesthetics.net/taipei-101-tower-in-taiwan-by-c-y-lee-partners/, Choi, Hi Sun., Goman Ho, Leonard Joseph, and
Neville Mathias. Outrigger Design for High-rise Buildings: An Output of the CTBUH Outrigger Working Group. Chicago: Source4, 2012.
Main Components of
1) Outriggers
2) Super Columns
3) Floorplan Aerodynamic
Optimization
4) Uses of Super Steel and Concrete
5) Tuned Mass Damper
█ = Focus on

5. Structural Engineering
Referenced Photographs:
Tuned Mass Damper
Displaced energy: forces motion into
heat
Decreases movements by 40%
Awarded “One of the Seven
Wonders of Engineering” in 2005
Stabilizes the building during
earthquakes and typhoons

6. Structural Engineering
Steel Cables
Spherical Mass
Bumper Ring
Primary Hydraulic
Viscous Damper
Referenced Photographs: "Taipei 101 Building Description." Taipei-101.com. Taipei Financial Center Corp.,
2014. Web

7. Structural Engineering
Referenced Video Taken By: Emily Bousaada (2015)
Referenced gif: Mangus Manske (2008)
Tuned Mass Damper
Compared to other structures
Ordinary High-rise Tuned Mass Damper
Ordinary Low-rise Foundation Insulator
Diagonal Tuned Damper

8. Structural Engineering
Referenced Photographs Taken By: Emily Bousaada (2014)
Referenced Video:"Taipei 101 Building Description." Taipei-101.com. Taipei Financial Center Corp., 2014. Web
 Case Study: Typhoon Phoenix (Sept. 2014)

9. Structural Engineering
Referenced Photographs Taken By: Emily Bousaada (2014)
Ways of improvement:
Multiple, smaller dampers
More rental space
Chance of failure
reduced

10. How Can this Relate to us?
Metropolises and Superstructures of the World
New York City Dubai
Shanghai

11. Does Taipei 101 Cause
Earthquakes?
Referenced Information: Lin, C.-H. (2005), Seismicity increase after the construction of the world's tallest
building: An active blind fault beneath the Taipei 101, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L22313,
Great possibility.
Possible blind fault
Increase in magnitude of earthquakes
Heavy vertical loading

12. Does Taipei 101 Cause
Earthquakes?
Referenced Information:Lin, C.-H. (2005), Seismicity increase after the construction of the world's tallest
building: An active blind fault beneath the Taipei 101, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L22313,
Earthquake activity (M > 3.0) in the
Taiwan area during the past 15 years.
 Distribution of most directed
damage, (epicenter).
 Prediction of where earthquakes will
occur, (hypocenters), in the north‐south
profile.

13. Does Taipei 101 Cause
Earthquakes?
Referenced Information:Lin, C.-H. (2005), Seismicity increase after the construction of the world's tallest
building: An active blind fault beneath the Taipei 101, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L22313,
Changes in seismicity during the 1990–2005 period for 730-ton structure.

14. Does Taipei 101 Cause
Earthquakes?
Referenced Information:Lin, C.-H. (2005), Seismicity increase after the construction of the world's tallest
building: An active blind fault beneath the Taipei 101, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L22313,
 Seismicity in the eastern part of the
Taipei basin: three faults (dashed lines),
namely the Taipei fault (TF), the Kanchia
fault (KF) and the Chinshan fault (CF),
are marked on the map. Also the focal
mechanism of the larger felt earthquake
(ML = 3.8) is shown.
 NE-SW Striking
 Seismicity is projected on the W-E cross-
section
 Seismicity is projected on the N-S cross-
section. The blind fault (thick dashed
line) is also shown.

15. How Can this Relate to us?
Metropolises and Superstructures of the World
New York City Dubai
Shanghai

16. Questions?
Referenced Photographs Taken By: Emily Bousaada (2014)