Last week was a pretty phenomenal week for the city of Chicago. For one, the U.S. Olympic Committee chose Chicago as the U.S.’s candidate to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. And then, the Chicago Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval for the Chicago Spire – a massive, twisting 2,000-foot building designed by world famous architect Santiago Calatrava.
The 150-story, 3-million square foot facility would out-skyscrape the Freedom Tower by 224 feet, making it the tallest building in the U.S. The Chicago zoning board and the Chicago City Council still need to approve the building, but the green light from both is expected in early May. Construction is scheduled to begin soon afterward. (Assuming the developer can locate financing for the $2 billion project.)For obvious reasons, the curvy, twisty design and the building’s height have been the subject of much discussion. Reactions have ranged from to anger (It doesn’t fit with Chicago’s skyline…It’s generally ridiculous-looking…) to giddy excitement (It’s a gorgeous work of art that symbolizes Chicago’s rise to the top…). It’s also inspired some pretty good jokes - Where’s the rest of the unicorn?…or…It looks like an upside-down icicle – has hell frozen over? But the building is interesting for a few other reasons than just its appearance. For one, it’s to be an all-residential facility of about 1,200 condominiums – making it the tallest residential tower in the world. Additionally, the building is to be designed to receive LEED Gold certification, keeping pace with the Freedom Tower that has the same goal. In all reality,though, using LEED for skyscrapers is becoming the rule rather than the exception. It’s good to see the Chicago Spire will follow suit. Please let us know what you think of this rather unique building.