The Chang-Gu World Trade Center (), also known as Grand 50 Tower, is a tall skyscraper in

Sanmin District Sanmin District () is a district of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History During the Ming dynasty, the Wang, Tsai, and Cheng families built houses in the area to farm the land. The area was thus named ''Sankuaicu'' (). After the handover of Taiwan fro ...

of Kaohsiung,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. It was completed in 1992 and was designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners. It was the first building in Taiwan to reach a height of 50 floors, as is highlighted by its alternative name.

History

After its completion in 1992, the Chang-Gu World Trade Center became the tallest building in

surpassing the 169.8 meters high Asia-Pacific Financial Plaza in Kaohsiung. However, it only kept this title for 6 months when the

Shin Kong Life Tower Shin Kong Life Tower (), at 51 stories and a height of , is one of Taiwan's earliest skyscrapers. The rose-colored tower topped by a pyramid stands in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, and dates from 1993. Its first twelve floors and two underground f ...

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

was completed on 21 December 1993. It kept the title as the tallest building in Kaohsiung for 5 years until the completion of the

Tuntex Sky Tower 85 Sky Tower, formerly known as the T & C Tower or Tuntex Sky Tower (), is an 85-story skyscraper in Lingya District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The structure is high. An antenna increases the pinnacle height to . Constructed from 1994 to 1997, it is th ...

in 1997. The building is currently the 188th tallest building in the world and 5th tallest in Taiwan. The building follows a Chinese

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

style and has an octagonal base to be stable against high winds which are typical in Taiwan as it is prone to

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

s. During the buildings test phase, it was tested to pressures equivalent of wind speeds in excess of . It was also tested to withstand

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

s which are commonplace in Taiwan. The buildings crown follows the same perimeter as the rest of the building however it stands on an elaborate, thin base. The underside of the crown is lit up at night however the rest is not. The top is home to the Grand 50 Club which is managed by the Peninsula Group based in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. The Grand 50 Club is known as a prestigious night-spot. The building contains a car park with 280 spaces available. This located underneath the building, covering five underground floors. The

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

is 21 stories high and is clad in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

. At the top of the building is a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

pad.

Transportation

The building is accessible within walking distance North East from

Kaohsiung Station Kaohsiung Main Station () is a railway and metro station in Sanmin District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan served by the Taiwan Railways and Kaohsiung Rapid Transit. It is one of four ''special class'' stations, the highest class with the most services. It ...

of the

Kaohsiung MRT Kaohsiung Metro () is a rapid transit and light rail system covering the metropolitan area of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Its rapid transit network is known as Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit or Kaohsiung MRT. Construction of the MRT started in October 200 ...

Taiwan Railway Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...

External links

Emporis.com
- Building ID: 122156
Skyscraperpage.com

2Bangkok.com
- Pictures available on site.
Turner Construction
- involved in the construction of the tower. {{Kaohsiung 1992 establishments in Taiwan Office buildings completed in 1992 Skyscraper office buildings in Kaohsiung World Trade Centers

History

Transportation

See also

External links