85 Sky Tower (original) (raw)

Skyscraper in Lingya, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

85 Sky Tower
Map
General information
Status Completed
Type Mixed Use (Office building, Hotel, Shopping mall)
Location Lingya, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Coordinates 22°36′42″N 120°18′00″E / 22.61167°N 120.30000°E / 22.61167; 120.30000
Construction started 1994
Completed 1997
Cost NT$ 5 billion
Height
Architectural 347.5 m (1,140 ft)[1]
Tip 378.0 m (1,240 ft)
Antenna spire 378.0 m (1,240 ft)
Roof 347.5 m (1,140 ft)
Top floor 341.0 m (1,119 ft)[1]
Observatory 341.0 m (1,119 ft)[1]
Technical details
Floor count 85 (+5 basement floors)[1]
Floor area 306,337 m2 (3,297,384 sq ft)[1]
Lifts/elevators 54[1]
Design and construction
Architect(s) C.Y. Lee[1]
Structural engineer Evergreen Consulting Engineering[1]
Website
http://www.85sky-tower.com/
References
[1][2]

85 Sky Tower (Chinese: 高雄85大樓; pinyin: Gāoxióng 85 Dàlóu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ko-hiông 85 Tōa-lâu), formerly known as the T & C Tower or Tuntex Sky Tower, is an 85-story skyscraper in Lingya District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The structure is 347.5 m (1,140 ft) high. An antenna increases the pinnacle height to 378 m (1,240 ft). Constructed from 1994 to 1997 by the now-defunct Tuntex Group, it is the tallest building in Kaohsiung, and the 2nd tallest in Taiwan after the Taipei 101.

As of 2023, the building is almost entirely unoccupied except for a few condominiums (some subleased as short-term rentals) and offices from the 12th to 35th floors. Many floors have not been used in decades, and their conditions have become dirty and run-down.[3] When the building first opened, it once housed a department store, indoor amusement park, five-star hotel, observatory, steakhouse and disco, VIP club and spa, and other amenities.

The building was designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, and has an unusual 'prong' design with two separate 39-floor sections, which merge into a single central tower rising to a spire. This unique design leaves a substantial space below the central part of the tower. The design was inspired by the Chinese character KAO (高) meaning tall, and also part of the city's name. John W. Milton was Project Director on behalf of Turner International Inc. (New York), a subsidiary of Turner Construction.

There is no 44th floor in the building due to tetraphobia, so the 43rd floor connects directly to the 45th floor; the 57th floor, a mechanical floor, is numbered 57A. The pyramid shaped crown is the equivalent of three stories high and is hence marketed as 83–85 to arrive at a round number. There is no elevator access to floors above 80.

Floor 34 and 35 are currently leased by Look Hotel Group (Chinese: 樂活商旅租). The 85 Sky Tower Hotel (ceased operations) (Chinese: 君鴻國際酒店) occupies floors 37 to 85, and it owns the observation deck. Office space and studio apartments occupy each side of the lower floors.[4]

There is an Atrium that extends from Level 45's Shimmer Ballroom (as of 2015 the entire floor is dark and unoccupied) to Level 83; it is one of the highest continuous atriums in the world.

The building is accessible within five blocks walking distance west of Sanduo Shopping District Station of the Kaohsiung MRT.

  1. ^ "Emporis building ID 122136". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  2. ^ "高雄85大樓關鍵字曝「外約」網驚賣屋倒貨潮：超高城中城鬼才買". 8 November 2022.
  3. ^ DeAeth, Duncan (26 December 2018). "Kaohsiung's 85 Sky Tower Hotel to go up for auction in January". Taiwan News. Retrieved 2 January 2019.