The dazzling fireworks show at Taipei 101 has been the climax of New Year’s Eve countdown parties in Taipei since the skyscraper was completed in 2004, but the tradition may become history after a 272m-tall building nearby is completed in 2015.
Media reports say the new building is to be built on a 5,357 ping (17,709m2) plot of land just 60m from the 509m-high Taipei 101 and will have 45 floors, making it the second-tallest building in the city.
The plot of land, which now houses the Taipei World Trade Center’s Hall 2, was leased by the Taipei City Government to Nan Shan Life Insurance Co for 50 years for a royalty of NT$26.8 billion (US$894 million) in a contract that was inked last year.
According to Taipei 101 spokesman Michael Liu (劉家豪), the safety distance for fireworks displays is 100m and although the new building will not be situated right next to Taipei 101, it will be just 60m away.
“The new skyscraper’s close proximity to Taipei 101 poses a problem to the design of the building’s countdown fireworks show. Because the vertical safety distance for fireworks displays is 150m, setting off fireworks from the 89th floor could be a problem,” Liu said.
However, as construction is still in the preparatory phase, this year’s fireworks show is unlikely to be affected, Liu said, adding that Taipei 101 officials would meet with the insurance corporation and the Taipei City Government soon to discuss possible solutions to the problem.
In response, Nan Shan said its project was being carried out in accordance with city regulations and that the planned building’s surroundings had been factored into its design.
“The company hopes that the new building can bring about mutual prosperity with businesses in Xinyi District (信義) and provide a boost to the local economy,” Nan Shan said.
Taipei 101’s fireworks shows led to Taipei being selected by CNN as one of the top 10 destinations in the world in which to welcome a new year.
Seven of the 17 NT$10 million (US$311,604) winning receipts from the November-December uniform invoice lottery remain unclaimed as of today, the Ministry of Finance said, urging winners to redeem their prizes by May 5. The reminder comes ahead of the release of the winning numbers for the January-February lottery tomorrow. Among the unclaimed receipts was one for a NT$173 phone bill in Keelung, while others were for a NT$5,913 purchase at Costco in Taipei's Neihu District (內湖), a NT$49 purchase at a FamilyMart in New Taipei City's Tamsui District (淡水), and a NT$500 purchase at a tea shop in New Taipei City's
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Deliveries of delayed F-16V jets are expected to begin in September, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today, after senior defense officials visited the US last week. The US in 2019 approved a US$8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 jets to Taiwan, a deal that would take the nation’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets, but the project has been hit by issues including software problems. Koo appeared today before a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which is discussing different versions of the special defense budget this week. The committee is questioning officials today,
RSS