Chicago Spire
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I did quite a bit of reading on the Chicago Spire last night. As you may or may not be aware, the Spire is Santiago Calatrava‘s new building being built in Chicago that will be the tallest building in North America and the tallest all residential building in the world.
What’s most impressive about the building, however, is the fact that it’s designed as a LEED Gold building.
Sustainable features include recycled rainwater, river water used for cooling, ornithologically-sensitive glass to protect migratory birds, intelligent building and management systems, waste storage and recycling management, and monitored outdoor air delivery. Learn more.
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So is it really happening this time? That project has been discussed for a looooooong time.
Oh lordy lordy. It’s the thing I dread most in architecture: mistaking a tall building for a piece of sculpture.
I mean, look at it. It’s not a building, with the recognizable building components of top, middle, bottom, doors, windows. It’s a giant drill bit! A thousand-foot high sculpture of a drill bit! The end!
I’ll be very interested to see what the details of this building look like as it goes up. Will it have any sense of scale? Any refinement as one moves closer? The animation on the building’s own web site shows nothing of the sort.
I’m also interested in seeing some floor plans, since I suspect they’re enslaved by this big idea about the shape of the outside of the building.