it really is a bit odd for the "stately" Chicago skyline.

Every skyline must evolve. It can't allow its past to determine its future. When the John Hancock Center was built, it was an anomaly--too tall and in the wrong place. Now, all these years later, most would be hardpressed to imagine the Chicago skyline without it. I believe the same will be the case with Chicago Spire.

Good point. I agree, skylines must evolve. But the sheer height of this building will forever change the Chicago skyline, probably more than Big John ever did. (BTW, I love the Hancock...one of, if not THE best buildings in Chi-town.

Good point. I agree, skylines must evolve. But the sheer height of this building will forever change the Chicago skyline, probably more than Big John ever did. (BTW, I love the Hancock...one of, if not THE best buildings in Chi-town.

You say "but" as if it's a bad thing. Why do you feel that way?

Did not mean it as a "bad" thing. Just trying to get a feel for what this will do for the Chicago skyline. On one hand, I think the U.S. needs to make a statement that we can compete in this area, on the other hand, what will this building accomplish from an aesthetic and practical standpoint? You are in Chicago and probably have a vested interest in this building. I used to live there, and it is still my favorite U.S. city. One of the things that is attractive about the city is it thinks big and makes bold moves. (You know, that whole "broad shoulders" thing). Nothing wrong with that!

Hey, I'm not totally against it, just raising some questions...

Did not mean it as a "bad" thing. Just trying to get a feel for what this will do for the Chicago skyline. On one hand, I think the U.S. needs to make a statement that we can compete in this area, on the other hand, what will this building accomplish from an aesthetic and practical standpoint? You are in Chicago and probably have a vested interest in this building. I used to live there, and it is still my favorite U.S. city. One of the things that is attractive about the city is it thinks big and makes bold moves. (You know, that whole "broad shoulders" thing). Nothing wrong with that!

Hey, I'm not totally against it, just raising some questions...

Agreed and point taken.

There won't be an observation deck.

I saw a video interview with Daley I think. The reporter asked him if there would be an observation deck and he said he very much doubted it.

There won't be an observation deck.

I saw a video interview with Daley I think. The reporter asked him if there would be an observation deck and he said he very much doubted it.

No, there won't be one. It's a certainty.

I see... I have to befriend with any resident who will live in that building so I can take advantage of great view of Chicago and take pictures of it then buy any resident who would let me, a nice dinner for Thank you :)

If they stick with this design in the models...

BEST.SKYSCRAPER.EVER.

look at the detail in the base! those shaped cuts...wow.

The model looks pretty good, I like it.

It will look great from a distance, and from the street. But inside, that shape will not be the most user-friendly - lots of odd walls.

Good point. I agree, skylines must evolve. But the sheer height of this building will forever change the Chicago skyline, probably more than Big John ever did. (BTW, I love the Hancock...one of, if not THE best buildings in Chi-town.This building is really only 271ft taller than the Sears Tower, if the antennas are included in the height. Chicagoans are used to looking at a 1729' structure already (Sears). When the Hancock was completed, the tallest structure was the flagpole of the Prudental Building at about 900'. The Hancock brought it all the way up to 1476'. That's about an 550' difference!

It will look great from a distance, and from the street. But inside, that shape will not be the most user-friendly - lots of odd walls.

ZoMg How would you liek, know that?:banana: Unless I see floorplans, I wouldn't conclude something like that. Even then..

Lurking at SSP this guy is actually supposed to be version H, not E.:nuts: SO do they actually have E F and G made, but not readily available to public yet?

isnt each floor plan a basic square? dont see how a twisted building effects the floor plan at all, each square is just off set from the previous one, doesnt effect usabiliy at all, something like the gherkin isnt great for it as it has circular floor plans, but this should be fine

More like a Heptagon on the latest drawings (7 sides)

Let's keep our fingers crossed that the detailing remains the same as this:

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/1039/csupua5.jpg

This is skaters heaven because you can slide over the rail all the way down and see the skyline in 360 degree`s :) :lol:

Naah it is a very good building that will fit Chicago perfectly!!

absolutely!

This is skaters heaven because you can slide over the rail all the way down and see the skyline in 360 degree`s :) :lol:

Naah it is a very good building that will fit Chicago perfectly!!

imagine lifts attched to that rails

Imagine a tony hawk game featuring Chicago and the Chicago spire.

they could have a climbing race to the top.

^using the rails? :lol:

Speaking of which the most current version, I imagine, will be super cake to skyscraper climbers if the version C facade is used.

yes that was implied

Is it under construcctioN?

^^ no, (and rather confusing since SSC decided to lump proposals, approvals and U/Cs together), but Kelleher seems very intent on getting this one off teh ground.

Damn, i thought it was under construcction haha

Version C looks like a Birthday Candle !
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3740/5041476jm.jpg http://www.pastrywiz.co.uk/shop/img/2811-210.jpg

it's kinda weird without the spire... prolly coz we all originally fell in love with it HAD the spire...

I bet that human spider guy from france would climb this, it's almost like steps.

The diameter of the base is 224 ft. The sides on the sears tower are 225 ft at the base. The diameter of the Petronas towers at the base is 150 ft. This thing is big.

It's not all that massive. The Sears Tower has a footprint of over 50,000 sq. ft. of space, while the footprint of the spire is between 25,000 - 28,000 sq ft. And remember the spire will be more than 500' taller than both structures.

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/83/chispireth1.jpg

CGII came up with this sketch over at SSP remember this guy is 15....

amazing building very artistic if i may say!

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/83/chispireth1.jpg

CGII came up with this sketch over at SSP remember this guy is 15....

WOW! IMPRESSIVE!

that drawing looks really, i mean really good
i really think that the spire will add a lot of the skyline and attract more people downtown

Superb design. Didn't really like old renders but this one is really great.

When was this originally supposed to take off?

This was posted on Skyscraperpage.com by STR

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9599/twt04.jpg

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3972/twt02.jpg

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/5360/twt03.jpg

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/6827/twt05.jpg

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3638/twt01.jpg

STR makes great digital models. Too bad he's not here posting them.
Gives a great impression on the impact of this building.

Cool!

WOW. I never realised how jam-packed the Skyline of Chicago was. DENSITY CITY

The only negative is it is by itself with nothing of similar size near it. Strange but still OK.

I hope it looks better in real life. I like this building, but not impressed with how it looks in those models. Nothing against STR of course.

I feel the sudden urge to smoke it...

I think the Spire is an exquisite icon. It is a perfect mix of contempory flair and traditional minimalist/internationalist styles of skyscraper architecture. I think it will be "America's Skyscraper" when finished.

I feel the sudden urge to smoke it...

Ha! wonder if you were able to recreate the spire with papers, would it be advantageous or just stupid?

For some weird reason i thought it was supposed to be alot taller.

STR has tweaked the model since those last renders and he has it nearly perfect now (minus the piping or the baser.) Here's his latest one from over at SSP.

STR has tweaked the model since those last renders and he has it nearly perfect now (minus the piping or the baser.) Here's his latest one from over at SSP.

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/4618/twt02ws2.jpg

^^ Nice 3D models!! Thanx for posting them!!
The building must be buildt!!

NOW!!!!

:) :D

Please join us to be more inSpired as the Grant Park Advisory Council and Grant Park Conservancy host:

Developer Garrett Kelleher and world-renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava to present new plans for DuSable Park and the final design of the Chicago Spire.

This Monday, March 26th, 2007 – 12:15 p.m.

Location: The Grainger Ballroom at Symphony Center, 220 South Michigan Avenue - located on the second floor of Symphony Center. The Grainger Ballroom is one of the most elegant special event venues in Chicago, with high ceilings, Austrian crystal chandeliers and sconces, and an extraordinary view overlooking Michigan Avenue on Grant Park.

The latest plans for DuSable Park and the final design of the Chicago Spire will be presented.

We would like to thank Deborah Card, president and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association for their very generous offer to host this meeting at such a spectacular location.


Please spread the word and thank you very much for your interest and participation.

From SSP.

So are they going to change it again on the 26th?

I'm not sure about this tower. I want it to get built, but it's kind of annoying to look at. I prefer the original version.

i dont like the style
it looks like a drill or corn combined
i rather have it squared with punchy design

awesome

Keep in mind that STR's model isn't 100 percent accurate.

Here's Calatrava's model:
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7223/csmodelfinalzd6.jpg

And look it this amazing base:
http://www.neweastside.org/SpireModelFromW_op_800x593.jpg

Wow

Nice models. The money will pour into Chicago with this building even faster!! :D
Yes it is a nice building.

I love the design.Very very nice!

^^
Luckely I haven't got a certain piece of anatomy that's twisted that way. :ouch:

The model looks fantastic btw.

Hi all
They will construct this bulling ? When ?

Construction Start probably in June or so

yeah im not the biggest fan of the design. but im sure once it's built, it'll look absolutely amazing in person

I like very much de detalis, the corners, and the base on the model, but not the general shape. I think the top is so elliptic and perhaps should be nicer much sharp. Really it looks like a banana or something worst

And the bridge is a full copy of his own desing in Sevilla (1.992)

I don't know if I prefer this new design or the first one.This one looks more elegant,but it urgently needs a spire.Even the name of the building says that :D

I'd say the building itself looks like a spire hence the name. Though another on top would be cool if it had an organic presence like the original design. This building will become an icon for Chicago and not just for the buildings height but for it's amazing design.

I can't wait.

Huge stuff

Looks like a candle. Not impressed.

^^Looks like an alien spaceship to me.

^^Looks like an alien spaceship to me.
obviously you werent there when they were building the new version of Soldier Field.

Spire's plans tied to city park

By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah
Tribune staff reporter
Published March 26, 2007


The developer and architect of the Chicago Spire, a twisting skyscraper planned at the mouth of the Chicago River, hope to join a list of developers that have paid for city projects in exchange for more density for their developments.

The Spire's developer is dangling before city officials an offer of substantial funding for the long-delayed DuSable Park. In return, Dublin-based developer Garrett Kelleher hopes to design the lakefront park, which is near the Spire.


But the problem with his proposal is that some members of civic groups already have conceived a detailed plan for the park, and they are not happy with the new renderings.

The park issue could come up Monday at two community meetings to discuss the Spire.

"I see it as a potential opportunity for a project that has been legislated for the last 20 years," Chicago Parks Supt. Tim Mitchell said of the DuSable offer.

Kelleher is the latest developer to come knocking on the city's door hoping to make a highly dense development more appealing by offering to pay for a nearby public project.

Developers of Lakeshore East built a 6-acre park before starting construction on high-rises just south of the river. Trump Tower gave the city $18 million to be used for a nearby park and work along Wabash Avenue and the riverwalk.

Chicago planners say they tell developers up front that they'd like to see some public benefit. In Mayor Richard Daley's Chicago, open-space projects are heavily encouraged.

In the Spire's case, Kelleher is proposing a 2,000-foot tower--the tallest building in the nation--that is expected to house some 1,300 pricey condominiums.

Brent Ryan, urban planning professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the developer is well aware that the Streeterville community is "anti-density and well-organized."

"The developer needs to get a variety of zoning variances so there will be some kind of deal made," Ryan said, referring to the project's density. "[The park proposal] just sweetens the deal."

The Chicago Plan Commission will review the Spire proposal April 19.

Santiago Calatrava's designs call for the park to be divided into two berms, pulled apart to reveal views of Lake Michigan from Water Street. Plazas at the top of the berms would be connected by a pedestrian and bike bridge that would cross the park and then join Calatrava's sail-shaped swing bridge that crosses the river.

The bridge could pose a potential problem because the city Department of Transportation held a lakefront pedestrian bridge competition and selected a winner two years ago for the same location. Brian Steele, spokesman for the department said the city was not obligated to construct the winning design of the bridge.

The DuSable Park design also includes elements from a master plan released in August by the DuSable Park Coalition, which generally opposes the developer's design. The elements include a plaza for Martin Puryear's abstract sculpture of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, a black man of Haitian descent who is considered to be one of the city's founders, as well as an outdoor classroom, wetlands and entrances from the north flank of the riverwalk and Ogden slip.

"There's 70 percent similarity," Mitchell said of the two plans.

But what upsets Friends of the Parks, the main group opposing Kelleher and Calatrava's designs, are calls for a northbound on-ramp to mid-level Lake Shore Drive that will encroach on parkland.

The on-ramp would have motorists driving into bikers and pedestrians strolling along the midlevel of the drive, said Friends of the Parks' president Erma Tranter.

"I believe the reason why they're designing this park is because they need a ramp here," Tranter said. "It's not clear if they need it because of access, but this will be taking away parkland."

For park officials, who have been trying to build DuSable for two decades, the big question is who will pay the $12 million to construct it.

The city has pledged $3 million for DuSable and the Park District has also budgeted $3 million. Friends of the Parks believe additional money can come from state and federal officials. But the Park District is less confident, and the city is concentrating its efforts on finding funds for the possible 2016 Olympic Games.

"I'm not going to pursue with someone who does not have a checkbook at the table as opposed to someone who may be able to get the checkbook," Mitchell said.

The developer has priced its park design at $13.5 million, but has not disclosed whether he's willing to pay for the entire project.

- - -

Public meetings

There will be two meetings on Monday to discuss plans for the Chicago Spire:

- The Grant Park Advisory Council will meet at 12:15 p.m. Monday in the Grainger Ballroom of Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.

- The Streeterville Organization of Active Residents (SOAR) will meet at 6 p.m. in the Chicago Ballroom of the Chicago Marriott, 540 N. Michigan Ave.

----------

nahmed@tribune.com



Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/graphic/2007-03/28625514.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/graphic/2007-03/28625503.jpg

(never mind :) )

I like this project more and more. Is it sure it will go through?

Cant wait to see it in the skyline. It will make Chicago even better architecturewise.

I like the developers plan for the park better. Heck you get an ampitheater/outdoor auditorium on top of it.

First, I want to say that I am now 100% behind this building and that as McDonald's says, "I'm lovin' it!" The SOAR meeting was great. I'm at work though, so enough of my rambling though. Here's some pics I took last night:

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5351/dsc00327ko0.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8755/dsc00328dm3.jpg

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4664/dsc00329rh8.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/7360/dsc00330zl6.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/5097/dsc00337vs9.jpg

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/4319/dsc00338si7.jpg

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6403/dsc00339hz2.jpg

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/2828/dsc00341yh9.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/4002/dsc00342nw3.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2927/dsc00343kl8.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/9568/dsc00347sv9.jpg

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8092/dsc00348hb2.jpg

http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/5706/dsc00349za8.jpg

Risk? What risk? Developer insists Spire will become reality

March 27, 2007
BY DAVID ROEDER Business Reporter

The developer of the Chicago Spire said Monday that he's risking a large part of his net worth on the project, but that a skilled team of advisers and demand from international buyers will make the building a reality.

Garrett Kelleher, executive chairman of Dublin-based Shelbourne Development Group Ltd., sat with the Sun-Times to address a wide range of questions about his finances and his ability to carry off a project that experts have said could cost $2 billion.

He said his financier, Anglo Irish Bank, is supporting the project without a requirement that he first sell some of the more than 1,200 condominium units before starting construction. That's highly unusual in commercial finance, especially when the project is a 150-story building designed by Santiago Calatrava, one of the world's most famous and expensive architects.
But Kelleher insisted his record of success in Europe makes it possible. Excerpts from his Sun-Times interview follow:

Q. No other developer here would get to build a $2 billion building without pre-sales. How did you get that deal?

A. "First of all, I'm not agreeing with you that it's $2 billion. ... We're homing in on exactly what we believe the cost is going to be. ... We bought the site and we're progressive in design, and we are intending to go on site in Q2 [second quarter] of this year with caisson work. Then we will continue on and the plan is to launch the project in Q3 of this year.

"It will be marketed here and in New York, in London, in Dublin, in Paris, in Madrid, in Barcelona, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Hong Kong, Japan, Beijing, Shanghai, Johannesburg, Melbourne, etc."

Q. But why is your bank so confident?

"I've never failed to raise equity or senior debt for a project. ... I'm funding all the soft costs and all the early construction costs out of my own resources."

Q. How much money are you personally risking?

"I'm risking a significant portion of my net worth in this project. ... But if this project tanks, it's not going to knock me out of the game by any stretch of the imagination."

Q. A person close to you has said Deloitte & Touche certified that your net worth is $750 million. Is that accurate?

"Most of my net worth, 90 percent, is tied up in real estate -- greenfield sites, development sites and other locations. I am a shareholder in two public companies. At any given time, the number varies. On a good day, it could be greater than that."

'Pushing out the envelope'
Q. What qualifies you to take on a project of this magnitude?
"I've never done anything as challenging as this, and I don't think anybody has. Ten, 15 years ago I pushed out the envelope. This is pushing out the envelope again, and I've managed to assemble team members that between them have the wherewithal, the talent, the resources to implement the design."

Q. What is the largest project you have completed thus far?

"Every development has different challenges and intricacies and some of the things that from the outside appear to be slam dunks are very challenging. The challenge is getting to break ground."

Q. What is Calatrava's fee and is he an equity partner?

"His fee arrangement with Mr. Carley [previous developer Christopher Carley] was a percentage fee, and the fee arrangement with myself is based on square feet. ... He is not an equity shareholder at all."

Q. At one point you showed a different version of this building to community groups than you were showing privately to architectural insiders. Why did you let yourself get caught in a fib about the design?

"I'm not going to cop to that at all. What's been going on, and it's been going through many iterations during the course of five, six months, is we've been meeting with many civic groups. ... We showed a scheme but what we've said is this is a process. We've never said this is it."

Q. Have you showed the plans to downtown's alderman-elect, Brendan Reilly (42nd), and has he asked you to delay taking this to the City Council, since he might want time to review the details?

"He hasn't asked us to delay it, no. ... He has been advised on where things are at. I believe he's very positive and in support of the project."

http://media1.suntimes.com/nixoncds/image/032707spire2.jpg_20070326_22_13_20_581-282-400.imageContent

© Copyright 2007 Sun-Times News Group

Tommy Chong's got to be loving this design...! :lol:

(Just kidding - this latest design is the best so far. - BUILD IT!) :D

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/7360/dsc00330zl6.jpg

:master:

Please, build it now! :)

:master:

Please, build it now! :)

That's fucking incredible! (Pardon my expletives):nuts:

great new pics!

This is most definitely the best proposal in the world right now. That's right, the BEST.

droooooooling.....

http://bp3.blogger.com/_OvonoKii_ds/RgiydFt5POI/AAAAAAAAAFM/tx79iGBqX5s/s1600/20070326animationspiretip.jpg
http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20070326spirerenderingadj.jpg
http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20070326watercolorinitial.jpg
http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20070326calatravamontage.jpg
http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20070326animationspiretip.jpg
http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20070326calatravaspirewate.jpghttp://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20070326watercolorcolumnfo.jpg
http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20070326watercolorwomen.jpg
http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20060326renderingplazalobby.jpg
http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20070326chicagospirehologra.jpg
http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/calatravachicago/20070326presentation/20070326animationbridge.jpg

stunning entrance!!

I'm loving these new renderings. It isn't nearly as drab as the previous renderings. The white lines breaking up the glass every floor is a great improvement over the straight glass sheeting of the previous designs. I was hoping this wasn't going to be built until now. Now I've flip-flopped and I'm anxious for this one to get started. Oh, and also the base looks incredible.

This is most definitely the best proposal in the world right now. That's right, the BEST.

I don't see what people like about it so much. It looks like a dildo or a birthday cake candle. And it doesn't fit the skyline at all.

Same renderings but clearer
http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/6927/spirefull327mk2.gif
http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/8274/spirewater327fi8.gif
http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/5023/spirebase327xb9.gif
http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/9913/spirehor327kl6.gif

And it doesn't fit the skyline at all.

I'm tired of explaining this over and over again, so you can look at the previous pages or threads if you wish. And please, come up with an original response next time.

Unrelated, but someone mentioned that the building will be clad stainless steel and glass.

And it doesn't fit the skyline at all.

Neither did Sears and Hancock. Now you can't imagine Chicago without them.

I don't see what people like about it so much. It looks like a dildo or a birthday cake candle. And it doesn't fit the skyline at all.

Know anyone who uses a 20-inch "toy"?

and what people said about Sears and Hancock not fitting in when they were new.

I agree this design is the best of all seen. Bulk and class.

I don't see what people like about it so much. It looks like a dildo or a birthday cake candle.

I'd say it's more like a giant doobie than either of those. :tongue3: Whatever, it's still a great design and worthy of being built. :)

Official renders compliments of NewcitySkyline (http://www.newcityskyline.com)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Marino33/Midview20from20water1.jpg
.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Marino33/Midview20from20base1.jpg
.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Marino33/Full20view1.jpg
.

I know, I know, 0% chance of an observatory being built, but damn, I wish we could at least walk up into that base up close >_< so so so so sweeeeettttt

I know, I know, 0% chance of an observatory being built, but damn, I wish we could at least walk up into that base up close >_< so so so so sweeeeettttt

You should be able too, the plaza out front will most surely be open to the public.

The last rendering posted by Kngkyle completely leaves out Trump, which will look HUGE from that angle.

The best building in the WHOLE WORLD

and if you pan the camera a litlte more to the west... BAM, Waterview.

Good times for Chicago.

Wow, this is the best rendering so far. I can't wait for this to be underway.

WOW, the last rendering is awesome

This is really an impressive project.BUILD IT!

so is this bldg ALL RESIDENTIAL? thus becoming worlds tallest units? what a great iconic structure. beautiful

so is this bldg ALL RESIDENTIAL? thus becoming worlds tallest units? what a great iconic structure. beautiful

Yeah, the hotel and retail were removed a while ago, so now it will only be residential.

I prey that the Chicago Spire get build and gets built soon. The new renders have got me giggling like a little school girl with excitment. I hope they start the cassion work soon!

For some weird reason I actually like this design alot more than the other designs. For some reason, my mind keeps thinking that the building renders are leaning to the right more. Anyone else seeing this? or is it just my imagination?

OMG... those renders look awesome!!!!! This building is realy awesome!

(googles for buying an appartement in this beauty):D

Cheers :cheers:

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/315691,CST-FIN-roeder28.article

Mayor aSpires to something that'll never be built

March 28, 2007

BY DAVID ROEDER Sun-Times Columnist


You can say this for the Chicago Spire -- it's gotten people's interest. There were at least 500 people Monday night at architect Santiago Calatrava's presentation of the 150-story building at a meeting called by the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents.
My Sun-Times colleague, Kevin Nance, said there were about 200 people at another community meeting Calatrava and the project's developer Garrett Kelleher, starred in earlier in the day.

This was the dance City Hall imposes on developers. It requires them to show their faces and plans to the people. The mayor's planning department might already have approved the plans, but they want the public meetings just so they aren't blindsided by concerted opposition or even well-reasoned criticism.

If all goes well at the meetings, then the project sails to approval, all political tradewinds in its service.


And make no mistake: This new "nation's tallest building" for the lakefront will be approved. Mayor Daley wants it badly as a symbol to the world of Chicago's sophistication.

Adding a millionaires' residence under the Calatrava signature on a Chicago postcard could do that for the city. Now in its fourth public version, Calatrava's design is dramatically better than Version No. 3, and has the potential to dazzle. He's devoted great care to how the building relates to human scale. This is no giant that lands with a thud.

But it will never be built. At least not to the current scale or design.

The building is financially illogical to the extreme. Kelleher, the man in charge of the logic, cannot satisfactorily explain how he will bring it about.

He is the anti-Donald Trump. Kelleher shrinks from the public eye, his hair raises no suspicions as to its origin, and he is by all accounts a devoted husband and father. Good for him. It's all perfect for a guy rehabbing three-flahich is pretty much how he started in Chicago in the 1980s before leaving for Dublin.

But he's also befuddled about the attention and the rude questions aimed at him now that he's backing what would be one of the most prominent buildings in the world. Kelleher spent a generous amount of time with me Monday afternoon to discuss his plans, but his answers were lacking. (Excerpts from the interview ran in Tuesday's Sun-Times and are at suntimes.com.)

He couldn't explain why, as the sole equity owner, he has a peculiarly open checkbook from his financier, Anglo Irish Bank. Kelleher repeated that he can start construction with no advance sales of the 1,200 condominiums he plans to bring to an elite market. Other condo developers must live by pre-sales. Not him.

I asked Kelleher three different ways what major project of his in Europe qualifies him to take on the Chicago Spire. What's his largest project to date? Which one is he most proud of? Each time, he answered in generalities about each project carrying its challenges.

His Shelbourne Development Ltd. has completed residential and commercial buildings in Dublin, London, Brussels and France. Yet he cited none by name or location.

Kelleher said he is risking "a significant portion" of his net worth on the spire. So what's the harm here? Only this:

Let's say he goes up 20 stories, and runs out of cash, with no sales in sight.

Construction crews retreat, and the property gets tied up in foreclosure or other litigation. The required costs are so staggering that no other investor dares take on the risk.

The spire becomes a stub. Or more to the point, what was to be a showpiece becomes a skyline ruin. It has happened before with projects of less importance or ambition. Think of the stub as Block 37 gone vertical.

Now there's a scenario that might get the attention of planner-in-chief Richard Daley. Kelleher owes us all a few more answers before the Chicago Plan Commission's scheduled blessing of the spire on April 19.


He owes us even though he'll get sympathy just from the Don Quixote nature of his quest. So in that spirit, here's an offer to Kelleher. If he can top off this construction project, he's got beer and burgers at the Billy Goat on me.

Is that some kind of joke?

Wow mr roeder is very negative. How do we know kelleher dos not have a waiting list. Remember the condos are beeing sold international not just in chicago. I beleive that if keller did not have the money,he would have back off allready before making himself look stupid like the fordham company.

^^^Please, do not let David Roeder squash anyone's excitement about this project. He's one of the most pompous, bloated and worst writers of any of Chicago's daily newspapers.

"But it will never be built"

no!!!

The design has changed a few times, but what was the reason they gave up the spire? I didn't find anything about it.

The design has changed a few times, but what was the reason they gave up the spire? I didn't find anything about it.

Because Kelleher, who took over the project after the original developer (Carley) could not obtain financing, wanted to add more saleable space. The spire was eliminated to do so.

^^ Thanx :okay:
I think I like the present design even more.

sounds like jay mariotti

For some weird reason I actually like this design alot more than the other designs. For some reason, my mind keeps thinking that the building renders are leaning to the right more. Anyone else seeing this? or is it just my imagination?

I see it too. It's got to be an optical illusion.

It's just barrel distortion. The actual building won't tilt.

This is really impressive! :drool:

The best building in the WHOLE WORLD

i've seen your avatar in west-shinjuku.

Am I alone in preferring the more twisted top? I love both versions, but something about the less twisted top screams "corporate art" to me... I can't seem to explain it better than that...

i've seen your avatar in west-shinjuku.

That's the classic sculpture by Robert Indiana. The original is at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in one of the sculpture gardens. It's made of cor-ten steel I believe, and isn't painted.

I apologize for going off topic...

Am I alone in preferring the more twisted top? I love both versions, but something about the less twisted top screams "corporate art" to me... I can't seem to explain it better than that...

No, I am with you on that but we are in the minority so at the end of the day I hope we are wrong.:lol: I liked the crescendo effect the last version had but its not a radical departure from the previous design and this one is will more then suffice (I would actually like it 300-400ft. shorter as well) but all in all I have to say I am very happy with it.

this thread shouldn't ever be bumped to page 2!

Thanks to STR on SSP with these (amazing) updated CS renders

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/5231/CS09.th.jpg (http://img49.imageshack.us/my.php?image=CS09.jpg) http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/747/CS11.th.jpg (http://img49.imageshack.us/my.php?image=CS11.jpg)

this thread shouldn't ever be bumped to page 2!

Thanks to STR on SSP with these (amazing) updated CS renders

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/5231/CS09.th.jpg (http://img49.imageshack.us/my.php?image=CS09.jpg) http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/747/CS11.th.jpg (http://img49.imageshack.us/my.php?image=CS11.jpg)

Once construction begins, it won't.

i like version a the best. any idea on what part of chicago it'll be in?

Both verisons are not looking right to me at all. Look at the height of John Hanock is too low at both of visions. Also Asco Tower (spelling?) is missing at both versions. The Chicago Spire is way too short at both versions. Both of versions need to be fixed and make it look more realistic without errors.

No, they're probably correct. If I trust anyone's renderings, I'd trust STR's for at least the correct proportions. I don't remember what software he uses, but it's certainly not something as simple of Paint or Photoshop.

ok, the whole dot thing is really pissing me off, now I can't tell what Bui|ding is what

what is going on?? *************!

Read the announcements.

This building looks like a massive drill bit O.o

The earlier versions seem even more of a drill bit (but they looked good anyway).

God, I can't wait.

I think it looks like an icicle!
D

Icicle? No... lol.

I routinely pass by this proposed construction site, or atleast near by, so I really hope this thing takes off so we can see it progress. Will the foundation be in before winter?

I saw a rendering about a couple of years ago that showed vertical cuts in the twist. That looked so much more sophisticated than the giant Twizzler it's probably going to be.

I saw a rendering about a couple of years ago that showed vertical cuts in the twist. That looked so much more sophisticated than the giant Twizzler it's probably going to be.

The design you saw didn't have enough floor space to make it economically feasible. This one does. And it is still beautiful in my opinion. By far the most attractive skyscraper proposal in the USA.

I see the facade has been changed again. It looks great!

Kelleher has said that caissons will begin as soon as the city approves it. The planning commission will vote on it on April 19th. Then the city council will get it early may, they have a couple weeks to decide. I might have them switched, but thats pretty much the time line from what I have gathered from news articles.

I routinely pass by this proposed construction site, or atleast near by, so I really hope this thing takes off so we can see it progress. Will the foundation be in before winter?

No. Maybe a hole.

Wow! Those renderings looks incredible, and the base is so beautiful too!

it is really beautiful , i like it

I saw a rendering about a couple of years ago that showed vertical cuts in the twist. That looked so much more sophisticated than the giant Twizzler it's probably going to be.

I don't see how that's possible seeing as it was just proposed last summer.

There is also a chance that the project gets deferred off the April agenda

very nice tower.........
it will be the tallest in usa....

I don't see how that's possible seeing as it was just proposed last summer.

There is also a chance that the project gets deferred off the April agendaWow Bvic, where does the time go? Middle-Island was correct, it was June or July of 2005 when Fordham Spire was proposed. I know it doesn't seem like it though.

I think it looks like an icicle!
D

how about "The Doobie" , "The Blunt", Or "The Fattie" :sleepy:(an extra loaded joint)

:nuts: :lol:

I will tell you this much, it will be nice to see a building arround here that isn't just a few boxes with an antena on it....

I always wondered what they were going to build on that spot, granted i like all them trees. It is ncie to see something new, rather then those fugly condos being built south loop.

For those of you are who are like "oh it won't fit" please go to the library or watch pbs and learn Chicago's place with arcitecture. It was an experiment ground especially after the great fire. Chicago is an arcitecture experamenting city historically, and we should be open to new and inovative ideas.

From this morning

http://images.photo.walgreens.com/3498%3A4244%7Ffp68%3Dot%3E2335%3D45%3C%3D36%3C%3DXROQDF%3E2323777%3A68737ot1lsi

from SSP

that looks good, but what are they doing exactly?

Are you shure that is the exact site..of the..Chicago Spire render..??? I know it is supposed to start this summer...grownd breaking I mean......I think..they are testing the grownd to measure exactly... to see how deep they have to dig.:cheers:

The first proposal looks like a messed up giant penis..

^^ everyone has been saying that, since they changed the 1st design

i thought the same on the first renders. and i didnt like it. but these new pics look great. this tower will look great and has a good place in this amazing skyline :okay:

looks a bit like a joint now http://forum.hanfburg.de//img/icons/icons_alt_5/icon7.gif

that looks good, but what are they doing exactly?

they are boring in werius placis to see how deep the beddrock is
end messur the aria end makins shur that they are not bulding on a clif of bedroks

they are boring in werius placis to see how deep the beddrock is
end messur the aria end makins shur that they are not bulding on a clif of bedroks

Wow.. Are you posting from the Starship Enterprise? That's a fascinating mangling of the English language. Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing you, I'm rather admiring your interesting attempts at spelling. What nationality are you?

^^ If not wrong, he's Dutch ... or maybe German (can't remember)

BTW the technical term is "Soil Testing"

they are boring in werius placis to see how deep the beddrock is
end messur the aria end makins shur that they are not bulding on a clif of bedroks

obvious a german speaking guy

obvious a german speaking guy

The few germans I encounter master english with a deligtness I envy.

Most people don't realize that english is a germanic language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_languages

April 19 Plan Commission

A proposed amendment to Residential-Business Planned Development No. 368, as amended,
and Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection Application No. 515 submitted by
Shelbourne North Water Street, LP for the property generally located at 410 - 450 North
Lake Shore Drive. The applicant proposes amend the Bulk Regulations and Data Table to
reduce the maximum permitted amount of commercial space and the maximum permitted
number of hotel rooms, and to increase the maximum number of residential units from 4,680
to 5,730 and to increase the maximum Floor Area Ratio from 9.97 to 11.48. All changes
would affect Sub-area G, only, where the maximum permitted number of residential units
would increase from 300 to 1,350 and the maximum Floor Area Ratio would increase from
10.0 to 32.0. The proposed changes would permit construction of a residential tower
approximately 2,000 feet high, containing up to 1,350 residential units, and approximately
1,350 off-street parking spaces. (42nd Ward)

wow Chicago will sure look good with this!

"Approximately 2000 feet high" Interesting....

Chicago....the American city with ballz :-D

hope this one will get started soon. Great for Chicago.

1,350 units in one building? WOW! That would be most dense building in Chicago or North America?

1,350 units in one building? WOW! That would be most dense building in Chicago or North America?

That is the maximum they would do. It is not an exact figure, and in my opinion it will be quite a bit less.

http://www.soarchicago.org/Policies/details.cfm?PID=15

Dear Mr. Kelleher:


The Streeterville Organization of Active Residents (SOAR) is pleased to convey our support for your plans to develop the Chicago Spire on parcels 18 and 19 of Planned Development #368 at 400 North Lake Shore Drive with the contingencies noted below.This endorsement reflects the position of our Board of Directors and the vast majority of residents who emailed our office or were among the more than 500 members and residents who attended the community forum we conducted on March 26th.


They, as we, are thrilled that you have retained the services and talents of Santiago Calatrava to design the building, adding to the list of ground-breaking architects who have contributed to Chicago’s architectural history.The building will be slender with its footprint occupying about 30%of the site, preserving open space for the neighborhood.

We have met with and worked with your group over the past months and are pleased that they listened, heard and responded to many of our concerns and suggestions.We hope that every detail of this project, which we believe should be occupied by unique amenities, will be as creative and upscale as the design.

SOAR’s support for the Chicago Spire is specifically contingent on the design and plans as presented at the forum and depends upon resolution or completion of the following items:

·We would consider the total project incomplete without additional contribution by the developer sufficient to assure the simultaneous completion of DuSable Park.

·The density and additional traffic that will be generated with an additional 1200 units and 1350 parking spaces is still of concern.It needs to be carefully monitored and managed to minimize the impact on the community and East North Water Street.

·The degree to which the access ramp for the Spire infringes on DuSable Park must be minimized or, ideally, eliminated.

·The public plaza area plans should be modified to substantially increase the amount of green area.

·While we are not asking the developer group to contribute to its funding, as part of the overall plan for the development of the Spire and DuSable Park, the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, and the developer should develop concrete plans for the flyover bridge and the bridge across the Chicago River including timing and funding.

·The media and others in the planning community have raised concerns about Shelbourne's ability to finance the project. SOAR hopes for assurance that you would not begin construction without providing guarantees that adequate financing is available to see it through completion.

·If it is found that any midcourse corrections or design changes are needed, we are available to give you our community’s input.

Congratulations on a superb design that we feel will enhance Streeterville and the entire City of Chicago.We look forward to working with you on the issues listed above.


Sincerely,

Christine Foh
Co-Chair, Neighbors Action Task Force
Gail Spreen
President & Co-Chair, Neighbors Action Task Force


---

Even the NIMBY groups support the project. :okay:

Impressive...this should all but guarantee smooth flying through the revision approval.

when NIMBYs support a 2000-footer, its instant win.

Ok Chitown...ur hyping this spire up...so when do u approve and build...show ur balls...hope they aint BLUE:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ok Chitown...ur hyping this spire up...so when do u approve and build...show ur balls...hope they aint BLUE:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

April 19th, 2007. Is that specific enough for you? Oh, and Kelleher has already begun to order caisons even before approval.:)

IT'S AWESOME !!!!!
IS THIS TOWER APPROVED ?
IS IT UNDERCONSTRUCTION YET ?
I LOVE IT

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/2618/csreal2vp.jpg[/QUOTE]

I'm curious... If it is going to get built... Will they use tower crane or luffing crane to build this massive tower?

it is still proposed Alkun but it'll be approved soon and then not much time after that also UC ;)

IM IN LOVE WITH THIS TOWER

ME TOO!

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/5564/csversionf1os8.jpg

they better come through with this baby.

OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!!!!! THAT IS FUCKING BEAUTIFUL!!!! :uh:

Whats the floor/height ratio for this building?

a bit less than 4m i think

This is a must built!!!

No i dont mean floor height, floor height ratio...as how much xx:1?

I heard it might be a residential building. Maybe I should go live there.

with enough money ^^

Anyone knows how much this building unit costs? Studio? One bedroom? One bedroom with den? Two bedrooms? Two bedrooms with den?

No i dont mean floor height, floor height ratio...as how much xx:1?

About 9.5:1

seriously... have you ever considered how many people are going to be living in this building?

after that bit of considration.. do you still really wanna live in the tower?

Anyone knows how much this building unit costs? Studio? One bedroom? One bedroom with den? Two bedrooms? Two bedrooms with den?

Ah dont be stupid the secret with a building this stunning is to move in across the road from it, that way you can see it out your window everyday, rather than only seeing the view from it!!

*the sound a nerd makes while having an orgasm* i can't wait to see this one in 2016...

Anyone knows how much this building unit costs? Studio? One bedroom? One bedroom with den? Two bedrooms? Two bedrooms with den?

my guess is $1500/Square Foot

Can we watch out grammar on here (quote) "OH MY ------- GOD!!!!"

1500/sf? thats....16500$/sq or 13000Euro/sqm? Holy shit....

my guess is $1500/Square Foot

I would guess at least that. Trump is asking around $1100/sq ft I believe.

my guess is $1500/Square Foot

That's little lower than I would guess. We will wait and see when they release the informations. :)

just 2 more days :cheers:

Is that small bridge already there or is that part of the entire site plan?

Is that small bridge already there or is that part of the entire site plan?

It's part of the plan and was designed by Calatrava.

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/1154/cs1io0.jpg
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/4298/cs5gg7.jpg
http://img451.imageshack.us/img451/2738/cs6bt7.jpg
http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/7498/cs7es1.jpg
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/9076/cs4up7.jpg
http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/9338/cs3cx3.jpg
http://img451.imageshack.us/img451/6968/cs2it2.jpg

New website: www.chicagospire.com
No info yet

nice render pictures...the tower looks fantastic....we all love Chicago..the city where the sky has no limit...

acutally it is just a bit too tall. It is not a zoning or density issue, just that instead of complimenting the existing skyline (which has a unique trademark or identity), the building dominates just a tad bit much.

My opinion, I liken it to New York, while the Twin Towers eventually provided the trademark for the skyline, architecturally, now that they are not there, the NY skyline is bland from just those buildings missing - an example of how much they dominated.

One good thing about the Spire is that it blocks the unimaginative blob that is Trump Tower. Underwelming massive size does not matter :)

isnt today the day we found out if it will get approved ?

isnt today the day we found out if it will get approved ?

Yes. It is almost certain that it will be approved. We should know in a couple of hours.

Needs a spire badly..

Any word yet?

City approves plan for spire-shaped tower, North America's tallest

By Susan Diesenhouse
Tribune staff reporter
Published April 19, 2007, 5:01 PM CDT

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070419spire,1,7410057.story

What would be North America's tallest tower took another step toward becoming a 2,000-foot-high reality Thursday when the Chicago Plan Commission recommended that the spire's current design by famed architectect Santiago Calatrava be approved by the city zoning committee.

Garrett Kelleher, chief executive of developer Shelbourne Development Ltd. of Dublin, said the tower will be "a unique building in a happening city." Regarding questions about the project's financial feasibility, Kelleher said managers of the Anglo Irish Bank of Dublin "fully support me and I have shown their letter to the City of Chicago."

Shelbourne had requested that the amount of space to be built on the 2.2-acre lakefront site be increased from 10 times the lot size to 25 times. It also asked for permission to build exit and entry ramps linked to Lake Shore Drive.

With this approval in hand, the city zoning committee is scheduled to vote on the twisting 150-story tower's design and site plan on Thursday. Once over that hurdle, the project will then go before the full city council on May 9 for the final go-ahead. Prospects for that are good.

"This is a wonderful project, and everyone is very enthused," said Constance Buscemi, spokeswoman for the city planning department. If the spire gets a green light from the city, the 40 months of construction will get under way this spring, said Thomas Murphy, general counsel to Shelbourne, though he added that the developer has not yet hired a general contractor.

Murphy and Garrett Kelleher, Shelbourne's chief executive, have declined to estimate the total development cost of the tower, which is planned to have 1,300 luxury condominiums, retail, underground parking and other amenities. Kelleher has said that Shelbourne plans to start selling the residences during the third quarter.

In this country, it's unusual for such a large project to be built on speculation, before buyers agree to purchase any units. Such an approach is more common in Europe, where Kelleher has been working, Murphy said.

Jumping into an untested market could multiply the challenges of what is likely to be a complicated project to build.

Real estate experts have estimated the cost at $1.5 billion to $2 billion, or more. Shelbourne hopes to sell the units for more than $1,000 a square foot, Murphy has said.

At a time of rising construction costs, building such a tall structure is very expensive because the higher it soars, the more complicated the engineering. Sometimes, towers of 50 stories or more yield only about 73 percent of sellable space, compared with about 85 percent for a smaller building. Murphy expects the spire to yield 65 percent to 70 percent sellable space.

Also complicating the complexity and cost of the project would be excavating to build underground parking so close to the water. To dig below the water level while keeping the site dry, Shelbourne will use a process called slurry wall construction that calls for great skill and time, both costly commodities.

sdiesenhous@tribune.com


Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

Nothing unexpected.

Yayyyy

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Tribune photos
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/3081/29178879me8.jpg
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/9684/29178874lv4.jpg
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/4630/29178891zc9.jpg

It will also be a LEED Gold building.

They have already updated there website with content and renders:
http://www.chicagospire.com/

Much more professional than the other site. I'd assume they're still working on it too.

Chicago....what a city! the last 3D model shown is the most beautiful thing Ive seen in a while...like a 2IFC that keeps going...and tapers...and twists.
please build this...it will beat the Sears tower by 150 meters!

NBC news video on the Spire

http://video.nbc5.com/player/?id=93237

tasty.

I hate to be a downer.. but I really don't like this project! I haven't since I saw the first renders, and though I thought it would grow on me, it really didn't..
I love Calatrava's work, just not this particular project!

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

NBC news video on the Spire

http://video.nbc5.com/player/?id=93237

According to that video, there will be 1200 units, and there are already more than 1200 inquiries about them internationally...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070419spire-story,1,5953544.story?coll=chi-news-hed

ARCHITECTURE

Gamble in the sky
Will approved spire be superb Eiffel Tower, or super-sized ice cream cone?

By Blair Kamin
Tribune architecture critic
Published April 19, 2007, 5:10 PM CDT
Chicago's great gamble in the sky is about to begin in earnest--and the odds are now better that it will succeed as a work of skyline sculpture and as a building that engages the city around it.

After months of struggle, Zurich-based architect Santiago Calatrava finally has been able to make a winning match between visual poetry and the harsh realities of economics in his design for the twisting, 2,000-foot Chicago Spire, which would be the nation's tallest building.

Even if the design that the Chicago Plan Commission approved Thursday lacks some of the balletic elan of the original plan for this tower unveiled two years ago, it remains a powerful sculptural object with a strong structural rationale--an innovative successor to such great Chicago skyscrapers as the twin corncobs of Bertrand Goldberg's Marina City.

But the 150-story tower is nonetheless a gamble, and not just for the developer, Dublin-based Garrett Kelleher, who insists this is no pie-in-the-sky skyscraper even if he refuses to reveal its cost or the price tag of its condos.

No one has ever built a twisting tower this tall. For all the allure of Calatrava's architectural models, the Spire they show is as much an abstract sculpture as it is a real building. One wonders how the stunning geometry will look when everyday necessities--windows, for instance--intrude.

At best, this will be a new Eiffel Tower, a scale-shattering yet superb skyline statement that becomes the new postcard image of Chicago.

At worst, as less persuasive renderings of the tower suggest, it will be a visual cartoon, a supersized version of a Dairy Queen ice cream cone.

Inevitably, some will lament that this is not the original version of the tower, called the Fordham Spire, which proposed a hotel and communications antenna as well as condos on a vacant site west of Lake Shore Drive and on the north bank of the Chicago River. But that design was a seductive fantasy. This one, which would house about 1,200 condominiums, is striving to be real.

Certainly, it has made great strides toward balancing form and finance, especially since December, when Calatrava made public a banal, nearly flat-topped version of the skyscraper. It instantly was tagged "Twizzler Tower" for resembling a piece of licorice.

Since then, the restless architect has moved gradually to the present plan, in which the tower rises energetically but nobly, making a 360-degree twist as it moves from the ground to a sharply articulated summit.

In January, he unveiled sketches to the Tribune in January which gave the tower a newly pointed top and promised a restoration of the tower's whirling upward drive. Then, accommodating complex structural requirements, he settled on the current design, which is somewhat bulkier than the pencil-like January version but remains attractively slender. Gone is another version, also revealed to community groups last month, that had too much twist in its top and revealed Calatrava's tendency to lapse into the visually hyperactive.

But the sky-high aesthetic risks haven't disappeared.

Calatrava needs to settle on materials--he wants the exterior to include stainless steel, like the cladding of the much-admired Inland Steel Building of 1958 at 30 W. Monroe St .--yet how they are detailed and manufactured is crucial.

The gap between vision and reality is already apparent in the glass exterior of the under-construction, 1,362-foot Trump International Hotel & Tower by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, portions of which bring to mind distorted fun-house mirrors.

However the skyline drama turns out, the Spire has a greatly improved, ground-level design which belies the rap that Calatrava's skyscrapers are like ice sculptures that chill the cities around them.

With Kelleher's encouragement, the architect has moved far beyond the original Fordham Spire plan, in which a ziggurat-shaped, parking podium surrounded the tower's base and pretty much held the city at bay.

Instead, with Kelleher approving an expensive underground parking garage and asking the architect to plan the proposed 3-acre DuSable Park just to the east, Calatrava has given this enormous tower the fine-grained detail it needs to be a city-enlivening addition to both the riverfront and the lakefront.

Features like a grand, circular plaza that will terminate the riverwalk, the passageways beneath the Dive that will lead to DuSable Park and the handsomely sculpted design of the park itself undoubtedly will let the developer market the tower as sitting in 5-acre park, not a 2-acre park. But they also promise to make this skyscraper much more than just an object to be ogled from afar.

True, traffic remains a concern, especially because tourists are sure to flock to this building. Signs will be needed to point those who come on wheels to nearby parking garages. Wisely, the tower's garage wisely won't be open to the public, which should prevent a recurrence of the 1993 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, when a bomb-laden van exploded in the center's underground parking garage, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000.

For all the questions looming around the Spire, however, this much is clear: the planned skyscraper now has the aesthetic and urban design stature to match its projected height. Now the great drama begins: Will this thing actually get built? Will the reality match the promise?

Yes, Calatrava said Wednesday, explaining that the developer already is getting bids for caissons. His talents as a real estate oddsmaker, one hopes, are a match for his skills in shaping skyscrapers.

bkamin@tribune.com

The new renderings by spyguy on the previous page look great, thanks.
I just wonder why don't they put the Trump Tower in the renderings, it's a key part of the new skyline and will obviously be constructed before the Chicago Spire, just imagine the new skyline with the two new towers, amazing

WooooooooooW Great news¡¡¡¡

hope to see this rising soon.

*Still celebrating*

:dance:

After winning the US bid for 2016 Olympics, this is yet another wonderful news for Chicago and its people o:cheers:

^^ That's right! GO CHICAGO! :banana: :banana: :banana: :cheers:

Most crazy design I've ever seen!:nuts:

Chicago is already a world class city and this tower will make it even more so. Way to go Chicago. I always love visiting your great city. :cheers:

Hey guys what is the timeline for this tower to be completed?

http://www.suntimes.com/business/350713,CST-FIN-spire20.article

Light my spire
DEVELOPMENT | City planners OK Calatrava tower

April 20, 2007
BY DAVID ROEDER droeder@suntimes.com

The Chicago Spire, all 150 stories of architectural flair, advanced through a key stage of zoning approval Thursday, two days after its developer presented to city planners evidence of his financial stability.

Garrett Kelleher, executive chairman of Shelbourne Development Ltd., refused to discuss his assurances to the city. Kelleher, a Dublin, Ireland, builder working with celebrity architect Santiago Calatrava on the building, has claimed backing from Anglo Irish Bank.

Garrett Kelleher, executive chairman of Shelbourne Development Ltd., refused to discuss his assurances to the city. Kelleher, a Dublin, Ireland, builder working with celebrity architect Santiago Calatrava on the building, has claimed backing from Anglo Irish Bank.

But he's been a mystery in local development circles because he says he has no partners in what could be a $2 billion venture and because he vows to start construction without advance sales of the building's 1,200 condominiums. Other developers face condo pre-sale thresholds before a lender will release construction money.

But he's been a mystery in local development circles because he says he has no partners in what could be a $2 billion venture and because he vows to start construction without advance sales of the building's 1,200 condominiums. Other developers face condo pre-sale thresholds before a lender will release construction money.

The Chicago Plan Commission, which advises the City Council on major projects, unanimously approved zoning for the building, which would be the tallest in North America. Kelleher and city officials revealed the developer has committed $9.5 million toward the future DuSable Park.

The building would go up on vacant land at 410 N. Lake Shore Drive, and DuSable Park, a dream of neighborhood activists for years, would be on the lakefront straight east of the tower.

Issues such as size, height and impact on traffic come under the plan commission's purview, not a developer's funding sources. But persistent doubts about Kelleher's wherewithal led him to confer Tuesday with Lori Healey, the city's planning and development commissioner.

She said she would not reveal what Kelleher presented because it's his private business. "I believe he has the marketing plan and resources in place to move things to completion," Healey said.

When the financial issue came up at the plan commission, Kelleher said he showed the city a letter explaining Anglo Irish's commitment. "I demonstrated to them how I am going to proceed," he said.

He also testified, "I have absolutely no doubt this project is going to sell out."

Kelleher said later that he was "thrilled" with the commission's endorsement and looks forward to completing a new chapter in Chicago's architectural history. Calatrava accompanied him to the hearing and received applause from commission members and the audience after he described his treatment of the site.

Computer graphics and Calatrava's impromptu drawings emphasized the tall building's human scale and its connection to the park, public space that could seem like a vast front yard for the spire.

Kelleher has promised to market the condos at market-busting prices to the international elite. City officials, pursuing a bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, would like a skyline addition that certifies Chicago as a destination for the world.

"This should be approved today because it enhances the international quality of Chicago," said Ald. Burton Natarus (42nd), in the final days of his tenure representing downtown and the Near North Side.

Natarus said concerns about Kelleher's finances must be pushed aside. "We have to help the developer complete this project. Otherwise, the whole world will say Chicago doesn't have it," the alderman said.

The plan commission's vote sends the zoning matter to the full City Council, which could approve it May 9.

Leaders of several civic groups praised the project, although some included caveats that they wanted to be involved in ongoing plans for traffic management, a future auto ramp to lower Lake Shore Drive and other issues.

An especially enthusiastic supporter, Bob O'Neill, president of the Grant Park Advisory Council, advised Kelleher to serve his critics crow on the 150th floor once the building opens.

City officials said the developer will be obligated to provide funds for DuSable Park in phases before his building is completed. Other work such as the Lake Shore Drive ramp and a pedestrian bridge to the park will come at the developer's cost, they said.

A prior version of the building, with a different developer at the helm, received zoning approval last year. It was the same height but contained only about a third of the space of the new version.

Kelleher needed a zoning change to accommodate the larger size and a change in the use. The old version contemplated a hotel, which Kelleher has jettisoned.

Chicago is already a world class city and this tower will make it even more so. Way to go Chicago. I always love visiting your great city. :cheers:

Hey guys what is the timeline for this tower to be completed?

best hope is for early this summer lasting 40 months to end of construction.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070419spire,1,4563307.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Financial questions tower over Spire's political win

By Susan Diesenhouse
Tribune staff reporter
Published April 20, 2007, 12:49 AM CDT

The political hurdles facing the developer of a proposed tower in Chicago that would be North America's tallest structure don't seem nearly as daunting as the financial ones.

The Chicago Spire took another step toward becoming a 2,000-foot-high reality Thursday when the Chicago Plan Commission recommended that its current design by famed architect Santiago Calatrava be approved by the city zoning committee.

But given Garrett Kelleher's reticence to reveal project cost or unit prices and the fact that he has yet to start marketing or secure the necessary loans, questions abound about the financial feasibility of a project that could cost more than $2 billion.

During the hearing, Kelleher, chief executive of Shelbourne Development Ltd. of Dublin, said the tower would be "a unique building in a happening city."

Regarding questions about the project's finances, Kelleher told the commission that a top executive at the Anglo Irish Bank, headquartered in Dublin, "fully supports me and I have shown their letter to the City of Chicago."

But one high-rise developer wonders if that would be sufficient.

"The world's tallest buildings are so expensive that they need countries or major corporations to bankroll them," said Steven Fifield, chairman of the Fifield Cos., which has built office and residential towers in Chicago and elsewhere in the U.S. "The Anglo Irish Bank is not big enough to be the sole lending source on a project that could approach $1,000 a square foot to develop.

"That just isn't credible."

Moving through the city approval process, Kelleher's firm wants to increase the amount of space to be built on its 2.2-acre lakefront site to 25 times the lot size, rather than 10 times the lot size. That would enable Shelbourne Development to build a 2.4 million-square-foot tower. It also seeks permission to build exit and entry ramps linked to Lake Shore Drive.

Now that he has the Plan Commission's approval, Kelleher will ask the City Council's Zoning Committee for its OK of the twisting 150-story tower's design and site plan Thursday. If he clears that hurdle, he'll bring his project to the full City Council on May 9 for the final go-ahead.

Prospects appear good.

"This is a wonderful project, and everyone is very enthused," said Constance Buscemi, spokeswoman for the city's Planning Department.

Shelbourne also has offered to pay $9 million toward the development of the nearby 3.2-acre DuSable Park. In exchange, Kelleher acquires a valuable marketing tool: He will offer prospective buyers a home with an expanse of much-treasured waterfront green space.

Streeterville residents support the project on the north bank of the Chicago River at Lake Shore Drive, but they "continue to be concerned about traffic, completion of a [lakeside] bike path and the [DuSable] park," said Gail Spreen, president of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents. She asked that neighbors be kept informed of project plans.

If, as expected, the spire gets a green light from the city, the 40 months of construction will get under way this spring, said Thomas Murphy, general counsel to Shelbourne. But, he added, the development firm has not yet hired a general contractor. It also has not started pre-construction marketing, routine for U.S. projects that will seek outside financing. But Kelleher said that during the third quarter he will start selling residences in the tower, which is expected to have 1,200 luxury condominiums, retail space and underground parking.

Real estate experts have estimated the project's cost could reach $2.4 billion, and at a time of rising construction costs, building such a tall structure is even more expensive because the higher it soars, the more complicated the engineering.

"Tall buildings, especially when they are slender, must be stiffer to withstand the force of wind, which means that the structure calls for more steel, an expensive prospect," Fifield said.

Furthermore, such towers require that more interior space be devoted to elevator service, so there's less space to sell. Murphy said he expects the Spire to yield only about 65 percent sellable space.

Another factor that could increase the complexity and cost of the project would be excavating to build underground parking so close to the water. To dig below the water level while keeping the site dry, Shelbourne would use a process called slurry wall construction that calls for great skill and time, both costly commodities.

Given the cost, Shelbourne might have to sell the units for $1,500 a square foot or more.

"You can get that in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, London," Fifield said. "But Chicago is a kick-the-tires kind of town, so that will be more of a challenge."

Kelleher plans to market the Spire worldwide in such places as Dubai, Russia's St. Petersburg, Beijing, Singapore and Madrid, in addition to New York and other parts of the U.S. Already, he said, "the number of inquiries exceeds the number of units. I have no doubt this project will sell out."

sdiesenhouse@tribune.com



Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

From the Chicago Tribune

Evolution of the Chicago Spire
Zurich-based architect Santiago Calatrava¹s design for the twisting, 2,000-foot Chicago Spire has gone through numerous changes since it was unveiled as the Fordham Spire in 2005. Here is an architectural chronology of the project, which would be located across Lake Shore Drive from Navy Pier and would be the nation's tallest building:

July 2005
Chicago developer Christopher Carley unveils the Fordham Spire, a twisting, 115-story skyscraper designed by Spanish-born architect Santiago Calatrava. The tower would include hotel rooms on its first 20 stories and condominiums above. The building's roof would rise to 1,458 feet, 8 feet taller than Sears Tower, while a steel spire would bring its total height to 2,000 feet. With each floor rotating slightly over the one below it, the tower would twist 270 degrees from bottom to top, creating an effect comparable to a whirring drill bit. Parking is in a tiered 4-story podium attached to the building's base.
(Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin)
http://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8153/5m/images.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2007-04/29186466.jpg

March 2006
The Chicago Plan Commission approves a revised plan for the Fordham Spire, in which the roof rises to 1,570 feet, with a 30-foot water tank above it stretching to 1,600 feet. The spire still rises to 2,000 feet, but its structure is modified so it can accommodate broadcast antennas. The project now has 124 stories, with more condominium units and fewer hotel units than the original version. Its floors now make a 360-degree turn from ground to summit. Parking is shifted to a separate 6-story structure to the tower's north.
http://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8153/5m/images.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2007-04/29186527.jpg

December 2006
With Dublin-based developer Garrett Kelleher having taken control of the project after Carley could not get it off the ground, another design emerges, this one with no broadcast antenna or hotel. Kelleher decides those uses are not feasible. The tower, now 150 stories tall, becomes all condominiums, about 1,300 of them, tripling the number of hotel and condominium units Carley envisioned. The tower's rotation is cut to 270 degrees and it has an almost flat, domelike top that causes it to be nicknamed the "Twizzler Tower." The parking garage is moved underground and the tower footprint is shifted to the north of its site, creating the possibility for more riverfront open space.
http://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8153/5m/images.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2007-04/29186531.jpg

January 2007
After the December 2006 version of the tower is widely panned, Kelleher and Calatrava unveil the architect's latest design to the Tribune. It restores the tower's 360-degree rotation and has a tapering, tiplike summit. The design remains a work in progress, however, and it is not shown in public meetings.
http://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8153/5m/images.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2007-04/29186569.jpg

March 2007
Kelleher and Calatrava publicly unveil the revised design to Chicago community groups, but the unveiling actually contains more than one version of the tower. In the first (at left), the tower rotates more than 400 degrees from ground to top, appearing visually hyperactive. In the second, the skyscraper has a 360-degree rotation and a more subtle silhouette. The tower becomes wider near the top than the January 2007 version because of complex structural requirements.
http://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8153/5m/images.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2007-04/29186702.jpg

April 2007
The Chicago Plan Commission approves the final plan for the Chicago Spire. The approved version is the second plan unveiled in March 2007, with a 360-degree rotation and a tapering, conelike profile. A spokeswoman for the developer says Kelleher plans to build about 1,200 condominium units. The design includes a riverfront plaza and a new plan by Calatrava for DuSable Park, just east of the tower across Lake Shore Drive (foreground). The developer will contribute millions of dollars in construction costs to build the park.
(Source: Tribune files)

http://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8153/5m/images.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2007-04/29186759.jpg

I love the refining of the pinnacle. Looks much better now.

So the only thing stopping this is finance. Do the builders have enough initial finance to make this a reality? It would be horrible for it to "fall over" at the last minute due to lack of funds.

BTW, Does anyone has a diagram of comparison with Burj Dubai.

BTW, Does anyone has a diagram of comparison with Burj Dubai.


http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?27180647

So the only thing stopping this is finance. Do the builders have enough initial finance to make this a reality? It would be horrible for it to "fall over" at the last minute due to lack of funds.

BTW, Does anyone has a diagram of comparison with Burj Dubai.

No financing is not a problem. It still needs city approval, which should come on May 9th.

woowww this is wonderful news. It was even covered on CNN http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/20/tallest.building.ap/index.html
the render there is very outdated however. Hopefully it will be approved on the 9th!!

Good news

I love the refining of the pinnacle. Looks much better now.

i hated that spire

Here is a great video presentation of it:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid770169321

This tower has been talked about for years now. All of a sudden its making cnn i see today. I seriously doubt this will ever be built. We don't have the cheap labor like in Dubai to build something like this.

^^ I beg to differ. Have you seen our borders lately? Me niether. If there is enough interest in buyers this could be built. Interesting article in chicago tribune today about the whole issue.

This tower has been talked about for years now. All of a sudden its making cnn i see today. I seriously doubt this will ever be built. We don't have the cheap labor like in Dubai to build something like this.

Wow Renton12 a whole big 3 posts I think I'll take you seriously:bash: :bash:

i just have a question? What is the purpose of this tower....Condos? living quarters? cuz it dosn't look offices...

Nyway, my say on tihs building, i think it is nice....it dosn't fit 100% into chicago, but i would never stop such a project....which it owuld be in Paris instead :P (thats how much i like it!) but i tinhk cities can't really stop making beautiful designs because of their old one...i tihnk they should go and change their skyline in different ways...diversity it's called ;)

i just have a question? What is the purpose of this tower....Condos? living quarters? cuz it dosn't look offices...

Nyway, my say on tihs building, i think it is nice....it dosn't fit 100% into chicago, but i would never stop such a project....which it owuld be in Paris instead :P (thats how much i like it!) but i tinhk cities can't really stop making beautiful designs because of their old one...i tihnk they should go and change their skyline in different ways...diversity it's called ;)

Tallest residential building in the world. All condos, 1,200 of them.

thx for the response ;) i'm actually happy for Chicago...nice to have the tallest residential tower in the world! again...i wish PAris would have it lol Well good Luck Chicago, all the besT! (Rrrr, i'm liking it more and more!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Chris

This tower has been talked about for years now. All of a sudden its making cnn i see today. I seriously doubt this will ever be built. We don't have the cheap labor like in Dubai to build something like this.

OMG.. The Spire Tower has been approved.. I couldn't find the information in ENglish.. but anyway here is the info about this mega tall OMG, im so excited..
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/Aguja/610/metros/altura/Chicago/elpepucul/20070420elpepucul_7/Tes


Una Aguja de 610 metros de altura en Chicago

La torre Spire, ideada por Santiago Calatrava, tendrá 150 pisos y será el edificio más alto de EE UU (The Spire Tower, designed by Santiago Calatrava, will have 150 floors and will be the tallest buildin in the USA.)

http://www.elpais.com/recorte/20070420elpepucul_5/XLCO/Ies/Concepcion_artistica_sera_perfil_rascacielos_Chicago_torre_Spire.jpg

Una comisión municipal de Chicago ha aprobado la construcción de una torre de apartamentos ideada por el arquitecto español Santiago Calatrava. La torre Spire (Aguja) se convertirá en el edificio más alto de Estados Unidos con 610 metros y 115 pisos.

Is it truth?? Please tell me..

As for the quote from renton12 that it can't be build because is to expensive and it will be better in Dubai because of cheap labor. I wonder if you have seen any specials on the golden city of Dubai where the labor is actually slave labor . These people only make about $8.00 a day working over 12 hours a day and live in slums. Do not get me wrong with Dubaibehind the butty thereis a very dark side.

I meant Behind the beauty there is a dark side. Sorry

This story went national today. CNN, and a lot of media around the country are finally taking notice.

This story went national today. CNN, and a lot of media around the country are finally taking notice.

so this means that the tower is approved?

First tier of approval is done. Still has to pass a couple of other city approvals.

^^ I believe just one more on May 9. It is expected to pass with flying colors though. Thanks Kngkyle for that great video.

Here is a great video presentation of it:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/...bcpid770169321

Whats the name of the classic music in the background?

Simply great!

This tower has been talked about for years now. All of a sudden its making cnn i see today. I seriously doubt this will ever be built. We don't have the cheap labor like in Dubai to build something like this.

Uhm thats a good point however, this is AMERICA and have u seen what we can build...besides, not to be streotypical but there are hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers here who would step up to the plate to help build this project that will take years to build.

OMG.. The Spire Tower has been approved.. I couldn't find the information in ENglish.. but anyway here is the info about this mega tall OMG, im so excited..
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/Aguja/610/metros/altura/Chicago/elpepucul/20070420elpepucul_7/Tes


Una Aguja de 610 metros de altura en Chicago

La torre Spire, ideada por Santiago Calatrava, tendrá 150 pisos y será el edificio más alto de EE UU (The Spire Tower, designed by Santiago Calatrava, will have 150 floors and will be the tallest buildin in the USA.)

http://www.elpais.com/recorte/20070420elpepucul_5/XLCO/Ies/Concepcion_artistica_sera_perfil_rascacielos_Chicago_torre_Spire.jpg

Una comisión municipal de Chicago ha aprobado la construcción de una torre de apartamentos ideada por el arquitecto español Santiago Calatrava. La torre Spire (Aguja) se convertirá en el edificio más alto de Estados Unidos con 610 metros y 115 pisos.

Is it truth?? Please tell me..

A municipal commission of Chicago has approved the construction of a tower of apartments devised by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The Spire tower (Needle) will upper become the building of the United States with 610 meters and 115 floors.
It is hoped that the construction begins this one spring and finishes in 2009. The tower will lodge 1,200 houses and not only he will be the building upper of the U.S.A. but the building of houses upper of the entire world.

Ugh, its disgusting how so many articles have incorrect information.