Tallest skyscraper nears completion

THE world’s tallest skyscraper is nearing completion in Taipei after workmen yesterday finished installed the pinnacle on the 1,676ft Taipei 101 building.

The 101-storey structure which includes a mall, office space and an observatory will not formally open until next year in east Taipei. The building stands more than 165ft higher than the world's former highest skyscraper, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Wearing a white hard hat, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou marked the event with a small group of engineers, developers and government officials on an observation deck on the 91st floor.

They watched as the massive 198-foot pinnacle was moved into place.

"This ceremony marks a historical moment that Taipei 101 is officially declared the tallest building in the world," Ma said. "Taipei 101 not only represents the height of a building Taiwan can create but also Taiwan's identity and world-class quality."

The structure will have the world's fastest lifts, and it will have a stairway that leads to the top spire at 1,676 feet. The skyscraper's mall opens on November 14.

But Taipei 101 is not expected to hold the tallest-building title for long. In China, developers say the Shanghai World Financial Centre will be higher when it's completed in 2007.