Controversy has dogged the Taipei Financial Center ever since construction on the project began in 1999.
Concerns over the center's originally planned height of 508m put it under the national spotlight. Critics were concerned planes might crash into the building, even before the Sept. 11 attacks on the US.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The building's location near a fault line has also been a concern. Sunday's quake once again put the center back in the headlines.
Sunday's quake, which measured 6.8 on the Richter scale at its epicenter outside Haulien and 5 in Taipei, shook loose two cranes perched atop the 56th floor of the building. The cranes fell to the earth, killing five construction workers and injuring 20 others.
"Accompanied by Australian engineers [who arrived in Taiwan yesterday], the company is now inspecting the building to further understand the whole situation," Lin Chun-ju (林純如), spokeswoman for the Taipei Financial Center Corp, told the Taipei Times yesterday.
Taipei Financial Center Corp is the owner of the Taipei Financial Center project.
Prior to Sunday's disaster, concerns over fault lines, ground liquefaction and aviation safety have haunted the Taipei Financial Center project.
According to DPP Taipei City Councilor Yeh Hsin-yi (葉信義), the building is being built on an area that is subject to ground liquefaction that is also near a fault line.
"Based on these facts, I personally don't think the area is an appropriate site for a high-rise building," Yeh said.
The Taipei Financial Center -- which, it is hoped, will be the world's tallest building when completed -- is Taipei's first build-operate-transfer project as well the country's largest-ever architectural project.
The height of the building was originally planned to be much higher, but was lowered to 391.8m due to aviation safety concerns from the Civil Aeronautics Administration.
But the builders were later allowed to extend the building to its original height of 508m, after the administration loosened its aviation limitations earlier last month.
In addition to concerns over location and aviation issues, the building's construction plans have also been adjusted numerous times by the Taipei City Government's Bureau of Public Works after violations of construction safety measures.
"Of the 55 inspections we have conducted so far since construction started in 1999," said Shiao Shu-yen (
Originally scheduled to be completed by late next year, the completion date is now expected to be delayed as construction is being held up by the city government in the aftermath of Sunday's quake -- until safety inspections can be completed.
According to information from the Taipei Financial Center Corp, the building's gross floor area is 412,500m2, with 101 floors above ground and five floors underground.
Aside from shopping malls, restaurants and bars, the building will also feature an observation deck on the 89th floor and an outdoor one on the 91st floor.
Lin said the center will also be equipped with 61 elevators, including two that travel 1000m per minute, making it possible to reach the top floor in a mere 39 seconds.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS