TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei 101's damper is seen swaying during Typhoon Kong-rey in a video shown on Thursday (Oct. 31).   

After the typhoon made landfall in Taitung on Thursday afternoon, Beaufort force 11 (103-117 kph) winds were reported in Taipei, per TVBS. At 11:30 p.m., the Facebook group Foreigners in Taiwan posted a video of the Taipei 101's tuned mass damper swaying substantially.

In the 33-second video included below, a loud whistling sound from Kong-rey's powerful winds can be heard as the damper sways left to right. 

According to the Taipei 101 website, the damper is suspended from the 92nd to the 87th floors, has a diameter of 5.5 meters, and weighs 660 tons.

The function of Taipei 101's damper ball, which is the largest in the world, is to offset the building’s movement caused by strong winds or earthquakes. The maximum designed swing of the giant pendulum is 150 centimeters.

The most the damper has ever moved was at 6:59 a.m. on Aug. 8, 2015, when it swayed by 100 cm due to powerful gusts from Typhoon Soudelor. 

However, the amount the device moved on Thursday is unknown as Taipei 101 said on Oct. 24, 2021, that it would no longer publish data on the damper’s movements.