Constructed with Great Courage

Erecting the building was not easy. It required lifting thousands of tons of steel and concrete into the sky. An earthquake during construction in March 2002 caused a crane to fall, killing several construction workers. The contractors also had to deal with demanding construction directives due to the 101 Tower's proximity to Sungshan Airport. Concern about conflicts with flight paths threatened to limit the height when proposals were issued to increase the original 60-story scheme.

Integral to the tower's composition are the observation decks and restaurant spaces on floors 86 and 88. The intention is to provide tourists and locals with a striking impression of Taipei and with views to the mountains, the Keelung River, and the South China Sea to the north, which will enhance their understanding of the Taipei Basin.

Although this may be the intention of President Chen-Shui Bian, a keen advocate of promoting Taiwan's identity in many different ways, the tower may disappoint in practical terms because the clouds frequently conceal both the tower and the views from it.

Now, most of the office space is empty but expected to be leased soon. However, the bottom five levels are occupied and busy. The 101 Mall has already established itself as Taiwan's premier shopping venue. With almost 800,000 square feet (74,000 square meters) of retail space for 160 plus shops and 12 restaurants, the mall is expected to help establish Taipei as a luxury shopper's paradise to rival any other city in Asia.

While the shops will attract the consumer-happy Taiwanese, the mall is really conceived to attract foreign visitors. Its spacious plan is dominated by a piazza, "Taipei City Square 101," with a floor pattern resembling the oval pattern in the Baroque Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome. From here are grand views around the rest of the mall and up 150 feet (45 meters) to a glass roof that presents striking views up the side of the tower (Fig. 2.4).

 

Figure 2.4 - View up to the glass roof from the mall's atrium

 

The completion of the 101 Tower scheme must be viewed as a major achievement for Taiwan and evidence that it can compete economically and culturally on the world stage. Many Taiwanese are proud of what the 101 Tower represents even if high prices keep the designer shops off limits to them. They believe that the ability to build forever upwards expresses an ideal and demonstrates a willingness to invest in architecture.

In Taiwan, such investment appears likely to continue in other dramatic design forms. If the proposed Taichung City Hall by Frank Gehry and Guggenheim Museum by Zaha Hadid are built in Taichung, the island of Taiwan will continue to capture the world's attention.