Taipei 101

HISTORY

The Taipei 101 tower, which was previously known as the Taipei Financial Center, is one of the most iconic skyscrapers on this list. For a time, it held the world record for the tallest building until the Burj Khalifa surpassed it. In contrast to many skyscrapers that display contemporary design that could be found anywhere, Taipei 101 has a distinct Asian feel.

The building is divided into eight vertical pieces with eight floors each. Traditionally, the number eight is associated with prosperity, wealth, abundance, and good fortune in Chinese culture. The entire building also carefully considers feng shui philosophy in multiple design elements across different scales, including bamboo stalks, pagodas, and Chinese ingots or money boxes. Each grouping has an abstracted shape of a bamboo stalk, a pagoda, or a Chinese ingot.