Taiwan has just withstood a massive 7.4-magnitude earthquake with minimal damage, a testament to the resilience of the country’s tallest skyscraper—the tower that soars over 1,000 feet in Taipei. The innovative design of the building, completed in 2004, incorporates a giant pendulum that effectively absorbs shock and reduces shaking. This pendulum, affectionately known as ‘Damper Baby,’ is a tuned mass damper, a 660-metric-tonne steel sphere suspended over 1,000 feet above the ground at the building’s center. The sphere is painted a vibrant yellow, weighs nearly as much as the entire skyscraper, and oscillates to counteract the movement caused by quakes or typhoon winds, as reported by CNN. It’s the largest and heaviest pendulum of its kind in the world and is a reassuring sight from various vantage points in Taipei, including the city’s iconic Ferris wheel.
The pendulum is a pivotal component of the 509-meter structure’s ability to withstand powerful earthquakes, a common occurrence in Taiwan, situated in one of the world’s most active seismic and volcanic regions along the Ring of Fire. The building is also engineered to endure typhoons, which can be devastating to structures. The architects of the building drew inspiration from ancient Chinese architecture, where large objects were ingeniously used as counterweights to prevent buildings from collapsing under their own weight. In addition to the pendulum, the building’s interior design and architecture are crafted to maintain the structure’s stability. The tower is divided into eight canted sections, each adorned with traditional Chinese symbols of fulfillment, and features its own elevator, the fastest in the world.
Besides the pendulum, the skyscraper’s construction involved a huge amount of engineering. Massive support pillars were built, each made of boxes of 80 mm thick steel plate filled with concrete for stiffness. The pillars were connected by moment-resisting frames that ran around the building. A series of trusses between each eighth floor also helps with overall lateral rigidity.
The massive sphere, comparable in size to a minivan, has transcended its role as a structural necessity to become a symbol of Taipei. It has even sparked a design revolution, inspiring other skyscrapers to incorporate tuned mass dampers into their structures. The damper also serves as a unique way to indicate the day of the week, with seven colors—red for Monday, orange for Tuesday, green for Wednesday, yellow for Thursday, blue for Friday, indigo for Saturday, and violet for Sunday—projected on it. The damper moved 15 centimeters during the earthquake on August 8, its largest ever movement and the most significant shift in the building’s history. This is a testament to the ingenuity and innovation of the designers and engineers behind this remarkable structure and a source of inspiration for future architectural endeavors.
