(Published in the May 2005 issue)

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TUNED MASS DAMPER STATS

Where it dangles: Taipei 101

Diameter: 18 ft.

Cost: $4 million

Weight: 730 tons

Number of steel plates: 41

Cable thickness: 3 1/2 in.

Protects against: Earthquakes, high winds, oversize gorillas.

The new Taipei 101 holds the title of world's tallest building (for now) at 1667 ft. Sitting just 660 ft. from a major fault line in Taiwan, the tower could be subjected to earthquakes, typhoons and fierce winds--major challenges to the rigidity of the building. The remedy for these potential seismic and atmospheric assaults is this 730-ton tuned mass damper (TMD). It acts like a giant pendulum to counteract the building's movement--reducing sway due to wind by 30 to 40 percent. Constructed by specialty engineering firm Motioneering, the damper was too heavy to be lifted by crane and had to be assembled on-site. Eight steel cables form a sling to support the ball, while eight viscous dampers act like shock absorbers when the sphere shifts. Able to move 5 ft. in any direction, the Taipei TMD is the world's largest and heaviest. This gold-colored orb is on view from restaurants, bars and observation decks between the 88th and 92nd stories. A bumper ring prevents the ball from swaying too far, should that much swaying ever need to occur. Our recommendation, in that case, would be an immediate egress to firmer ground.--Nathan Eddy

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