One World Trade Center grabs U.S. height record, but Chicagos stature secure, by Cityscapes columnist Blair Kamin: [T]allest building titles, like glory and Cubs winning streaks, are fleeting. Someone can always build a taller tower. Mix the foibles of the human ego with ever-advancing building technologies and new experiments in structural gigantism are inevitable. [An international architectural panel yesterday designated One World Trade Center as the tallest skyscraper in the U.S., which at 1,776 feet eclipses Chicagos 1,451-foot Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower.] At 2,717 feet, Dubais staggeringly high Burj Khalifa is taller than the John Hancock Center and the Willis Tower combined. Saudi Arabia is building a skyscraper that will soar to about 1 kilometer, or 3,281 feet. Drawings show its planned knifelike spire poking through the clouds. Both these skyscrapers ... were designed in Chicago. ... Chicago shouldnt suffer any loss of civic pride over Tuesdays ruling ... Mayor Rahm Emanuel may be miffed, yet theres really no reason to be. The carefully reasoned ruling by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat may be a blow to Chicagos collective ego, but it will have zero impact on the citys architectural stature. Photos of Chicago and NYC towers; Rahm video goo.gl/uLNAjZ
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:35:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015