Bamboo pole: The structure of the 508-meter-high Taipei 101 looks like a giant bamboo pole protruding from the Taiwanese sea of houses. Never before has a skyscraper been built in a place where there are so many earthquakes: For protection, a 660-ton steel sphere is mounted between the 88th and 92nd floors: it swings like a pendulum in counter-cycle during extreme ground fluctuations. The 101-story building we completed in 2004 received the LEED Platinum sustainability seal.

• Architects: C.Y. Lee & Partners