Tokyo Tower

With 333 meters, Tokyo Tower is 13 meters taller than its model, the Eiffel Tower of Paris, and the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower. It was completed in the year 1958 as a symbol for Japan's rebirth as a major economic power, and serves as a television and radio broadcast antenna and tourist attraction. Visitors can ascend to the main observatory at 150 meters and the special observatory at 250 meters to get a bird's eye view of Tokyo. Under good weather conditions, Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance.

An aquarium, wax museum and several more attractions can be found on the ground floors of the tower. Separate entrance fees apply.

Location : 4-2-8 Shiba-Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0011
Constructed : 1957–58
Cost : ¥2.8 billion($8.4 million in 1958)
Architect(s) : Tachū Naitō[1]
Structural engineer : Nikken Sekkei Ltd
Owner : Nihon Denpatō(Nippon Television City Corp.)

How to get there
The closest subway stations to Tokyo Tower are Onarimon Station on the Mita Subway Line and Akabanebashi Station on the Oedo Subway Line. You can also walk there from Hamamatsucho Station on the JR Yamanote and JR Keihin-Tohoku Line in about 15 minutes.

location map

Useful links - Tokyo Tower official website.

Comparison of Various Skyscrapers

Taipei 101

Taipei 101 (traditional Chinese: 台北101 / 臺北101), also known as the Taipei Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building ranked officially as the world's tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The name of the tower reflects its floor count.

Location : Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan
Constructed : 1999-2004
Owner : Taipei Financial Center Corporation
Mixed use: communication, conference, fitness center, library, observation, office, restaurant, retail
Floor count : 101
Cost : NT$ 58 billion(USD $ 1.80 billion)
Architect(s): C.Y. Lee & partners
Structural engineer : Thornton Tomasetti

Symbolism
Taipei 101, like all spire structures, participates in the symbolism of a world center where earth and sky meet and the four compass directions join.The height of 101 floors commemorates the renewal of time: the new century that arrived as the tower was built (100+1) and all the new years that follow (January 1 = 1-01). It symbolizes high ideals by going one better on 100, a traditional number of perfection.

The main tower features a series of eight segments of eight floors each. In Chinese-speaking cultures the number eight is associated with abundance, prosperity and good fortune. In cultures that observe a seven-day week the number eight symbolizes a renewal of time (7+1). In cultures where seven is the lucky number, 8 represents 1 better than 'lucky seven'.

Entrance of Taipei 101

From experience, most of the observatory towers have long queues so its advisable to avoid peak periods to beat the crowd!

LCD panel inside the lift

The million dollar view from the top

Be mesmerized by the changing colours of the neon lights!

Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers along with Evergreen Consulting Engineering designed a 660 metric tons (728 short tons) steel pendulum that serves as a tuned mass damper, at a cost of NT$132 million (US$4 million). Suspended from the 92nd to the 88th floor, the pendulum sways to offset movements in the building caused by strong gusts. Its sphere, the largest damper sphere in the world, consists of 41 circular steel plates, each with a height of 125 mm (4.92 in) being welded together to form a 5.5 m (18 ft) diameter sphere. Another two tuned mass dampers, each weighing 6 metric tons (7 short tons), sit at the tip of the spire. These prevent damage to the structure due to strong wind loads.

One of the unique feature of Taipei 101 is the annual fireworks show which is preceded by the sequential display of numerals in lights on each section to count down the last eight seconds to midnight. Since 2007 the building has been completely darkened, then fireworks begin to launch sequentially from the lower to upper sections.

location map

See comparison with other skyscrapers

Useful links - Taipei 101 official website

Petronas Twin Towers

Located at Suria KLCC, the Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Berkembar Petronas) (also known as the Petronas Towers or just Twin Towers), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004, when their height was surpassed by Taipei 101. The towers remain the tallest twin buildings in the world.

Type : Office
Location : Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Owner : KLCC
Started : 1992
Completed : 1998
Height : 451.9 metres (1482.6 feet)
Floor count : 88
Cost : $ 1.6 billion
Architect : César Pelli
Structural engineer : Thornton Tomasetti

Suria KLCC is an upmarket retail podium measuring 1.5 million sq. feet located at the feet of the Petronas Twin Towers. It features mostly foreign luxury goods and high-street labels. Its attractions include an art gallery, a philharmonic theater, an underwater aquarium and also a Science centre.


Interesting to know - The Petronas Towers were a setting for some scenes in the 1999 film Entrapment starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It ends in a dramatic pursuit of the two stars by the Pasukan Gerakan Khas, eventually leading to Connery's capture and Zeta-Jones's escape.


location map

See comparison with other skyscrapers

Useful links - Petronas official website