The 660 metric ton Tuned Mass Damper within the Taipei 101 skyscraper moves effortlessly in the video above as a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Taiwan on September 18, 2022, but the Taipei 101 skyscraper has weathered worse, like the time the Tuned Mass Damper traveled 100 centimeters during Typhoon Sudila on August 8, 2015:
Essentially acting as a giant pendulum, the enormous steel sphere moves slightly back and forth to counter any motion of the building itself. It is an engineering marvel meant to limit the vibrations of the 1,667-foot tall building.
The 18-foot diameter, 660- metric ton steel sphere is suspended by eight cables in the upper stories of the tower, and is visible between the 88th and 92nd floors. The Taipei 101 Tuned Mass Damping were built and tested by A&H Custom Machine. The fabrication of the components took approximately a year to complete.
Tuned Mass Damper of Taipei 101 | Atlas Obscrura
Here's video from the magnitude 6.1 earthquake that happened April 18, 2019, where the Tuned Mass Damper moved 20 cm:
