Taipei 101 — Landmark of Taipei
by Erin Orred
Our first day in Taiwan started off in Taipei, and all 24 of us traveled up on one of the world’s fastest elevators to the 89th floor of the Taipei 101. The morning started off foggy, but as we walked around on the 89th floor, the sun started to burn off the clouds and we were able to see the full 360-degree view farther out. While the Taipei 101 building is no longer the tallest building in the world, it is the tallest green building, in terms of being environmentally friendly. One really interesting aspect of the building is its ability to withstand typhoons and earthquakes thanks to the large pendulum that acts as a damper to movement. The damper is so popular that the damper baby is a mascot created for the Taipei 101. The damper is suspended from the 87th to 92th floor and sways with the movements from elements outside. It was incredible to start the trip off with a visit to the tallest building in Taiwan and get a great view of such an incredible city!
