85 Sky Tower

85 Sky Tower
85 Sky Tower
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
Construction started	1994
Completed	1997
Cost	NT$ 5 billion
Height
Architectural	347.5 m (1,140 ft)
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)
Observatory	341.0 m (1,119 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	85 (+5 basement floors)
Floor area	306,337 m2 (3,297,384 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	54
Design and construction
Architect(s)	C.Y. Lee
Structural engineer	Evergreen Consulting Engineering
Website
	http://www.85sky-tower.com/
References

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.

Occupancy

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]

Atrium

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.

Floor directory

83–85: Mechanical
81: Radio Broadcasting Facility
77–79: Palace VIP Private Club and Spa (ceased operations)
76: Sexy Disco Bar (ceased operations)
75: Teppanyaki restaurant (ceased operations)
74: Observatory (ceased operations)
71–73: unoccupied
46–70: Guest Rooms (ceased operations)
43–45: Meeting Rooms and Ballrooms (no 44th floor) (ceased operations)
38–42: Hotel Facilities (ceased operations)
36–37: M/E/P
13–35: Offices and Residential condominiums (School of Banking and Finance, NSYSU)
12: Nikko Plaza (sky lobby for offices and condos)
8–11: Chien-Tai Indoor Amusement Park (ceased operations)
B1, 2–7: Chien-Tai Daimaru Department Store (ceased operations)
1: Lobby
B5–B3: Parking garage