Architect C.Y. Lee designed Taipei 101 to evoke a stalk of bamboo -- eight stacked segments that simultaneously recall an Asian pagoda linking earth and sky, a traditional symbol of strength through flexibility. The building sits squarely on the Pacific Ring of Fire, in a region where earthquakes and typhoons are not occasional hazards but expected annual events. The structural engineering had to account for both. The tower's most famous defense is the tuned mass damper suspended between the 87th and 92nd floors: a 660-metric-ton steel pendulum, the largest of its kind in the world and one of only a few visible to the public. When wind or seismic forces push the building in one direction, the damper swings the opposite way, counteracting the motion. During Typhoon Soudelor in 2015, the damper swung over a meter -- its largest recorded displacement.

Planning began in 1997, when developer Harace Lin's Taipei Financial Center Corporation won the right to lease the site for 70 years. Early proposals envisioned a 66-story tower, but ambition escalated -- reportedly after an expatriate suggested going higher -- and the city did not grant a license for 101 stories until the summer of 2000. Construction was underway when, on March 31, 2002, a major earthquake struck Taiwan and sent a construction crane plummeting from the 56th floor to Xinyi Road below. The crane crushed vehicles and killed five people: two crane operators and three workers who were not properly harnessed. An inspection found no structural damage to the building itself, and construction restarted within a week. The roof was completed on July 1, 2003. On opening night, President Chen Shui-bian, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng cut the ribbon, and a few hours later the first fireworks show heralded the new year.

The tower's double-deck elevators, built by Toshiba, held the world speed record at completion: they carry passengers from the 5th floor to the 89th in 37 seconds, traveling at over 60 kilometers per hour. The indoor observation deck on floors 88 and 89, standing over 380 meters above ground, offers 360-degree views with recorded audio tours in eight languages. An outdoor observation deck on the 91st floor provides unobstructed panoramas for visitors willing to face the wind. The building's public spaces are studded with art: Robert Indiana's LOVE sculpture, Rebecca Horn's steel and iron work, and pieces by Taiwanese artists Chung Pu and Kang Mu Hsiang. The mall at the tower's base is anchored by a Shin Kong Mitsukoshi outlet and features the world's largest ruyi symbol as an exterior decoration -- a nod to the Chinese symbol of good fortune that connects the building's commercial present to its cultural aspirations.

In 2011, Taipei 101 received LEED Platinum certification for energy efficiency -- the tallest and largest green building in the world at the time. The achievement was not incidental. The building was designed from the start with double-pane windows that block 50 percent of external heat, and recycled water meets 20 to 30 percent of the building's needs. The LEED upgrades cost NT$60 million but were projected to save 14.4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, an 18 percent reduction that paid for the modifications within three years. The tower has continued to collect accolades: the Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award in 2017, CTBUH recognition, and the Emporis Skyscraper Award on its opening date. Each December 31, fireworks launch from its facade in a display visible across the Taipei Basin, a reminder that Taipei 101 is not just a building but a calendar event -- the structure around which an entire nation counts down to its future.