Next in Tokyo, Japan, we'll take a look at the construction site of Tokyo Sky Tree, the tallest broadcasting tower in the world. Our correspondent spoke with the designer of Tokyo Sky Tree on how it was built to resist even the strongest earthquake in the country.
Tokyo Sky Tree will become the world's tallest free standing broadcast tower, and is revealing its secret in overcoming earthquakes in quake-prone Japan.
Standing over 630 meters high, Tokyo Sky Tree was designed by Nikken Sekkei, a Japanese architecture firm experienced in building quake-resistant, high-rise buildings in Japan.
The company developed a system of adding mass as a balancing weight to buildings, to control how they sway during an earthquake.
For the Tokyo Sky Tree project, the emergency staircase, situated in the core of the tower, acts as the mass, controlling sway during an earthquake.
According to Nikken Sekkei, it's the first in the world.
[Eizo Toyoda, P.R Manager, Nikken Sekkei]:
"The core column and the surrounding steel frame are constructed separately. Therefore, when it shakes from an earthquake, they will shake in different ways. The system works by utilizing their different ways of shaking to repress the overall sway."
Along the core, oil dampers are also installed to absorb shock. These act as cushions and are able to absorb swaying up to 50 percent.
[Eizo Toyoda, P.R Manager, Nikken Sekkei]:
"In the middle there's a space of about a meter, and from the height of 125 to 375 meters, we put six oil dampers. This is to control swaying so that the core column won't hit the inner part of the tower. They also serve to absorb the energy from an earthquake."
The concept of using a central mass for the Tokyo Sky Tree was borrowed from traditional Japanese wisdom of building five-story pagodas.
The longest standing pagoda in Japan is regarded to be at Horyu-ji Temple in Nara Prefecture, built in the 7th century.
Tokyo Sky Tree will be opened to the public in May 2012 as Tokyo's newest landmark and popular tourist attraction.
Liliana Yap, NTD, Tokyo, Japan
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