Chicago – the 2nd City, my home (an update)

Chicago, center of a 9.5 million metropolitan area and home to the second busiest airport in the world (O`Hare International Airport), is the birthplace of the skyscraper. Chicago has the fourth largest gross metropolitan product in the world (behind Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles).  Chicago is home to 17 Fortune Global 500 companies, McCormick Place (the world’s 3rd largest convention center), the world’s largest urban health care district, and almost all the major USA health-care related organizations.  No other city on earth can match the splendor and possibilities of Chicago with the cost of living of Chicago.  Overall, Chicago was ranked as the 8th greatest city in the world!

When Chicago built its first steel high-rise in 1885 (Home Insurance Building), it was not the tallest structure in the world (42 m later expanded to 55 m then demolished in 1931) but the first example of a new form of engineering that would change nearly every city on earth. Today, Chicago has 20 buildings over 200 m tall (three of which are among the top 20 tallest buildings in the world, including the tallest in North America- the Willis Tower). In addition, the Willis Tower has the most floors of any completed building in the world, and stands as the world’s tallest completed skyscraper when measuring to pinnacle height; rising 527 m with the addition of its western antenna (official height is 442 m.) In addition, Chicago has the distinction of being the only city in the world with more than one completed building containing at least 100 floors. Chicago is the site of 91 completed skyscrapers that stand at least 152 m in height, with 16 more under construction. At the end of 2008, there were 1,074 completed high-rises in the city, second in the country behind New York City.

Chicago has three buildings under construction that are planned to exceed 304.8 m (1000 feet) in height: the 610 m Chicago Spire, the recently completed 415 m Trump International Hotel & Tower, and the 319 m Waterview Tower. The 150-story Chicago Spire, upon its completion in 2012 (although this is questionable since construction is now suspended indefinitely… *sad face*), would become the tallest skyscraper (tallest structure as well since it will surpass the CN Tower in Toronto) in the Western Hemisphere. The tower would also stand as the second tallest all-residential skyscraper in the world (tallest will be the under construction 618 m Pentominium in Dubai), surpassing the 323 m Q1 in Gold Coast, Australia. There are also several buildings proposed for construction in the city, the largest being the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Residence Tower, which would rise 386 m and 107 floors. As of June 2008, there were 160 high-rise buildings under construction, approved for construction, and proposed for construction in Chicago. Chicago is definitely a member of the “Big 4” skylines of the world; some even put it at number one (which would be hard to argue against!)

Current Chicago Skyline

Wells Fargo Plaza – the Most Beautiful Skyscraper in the “South” (USA)

Wells Fargo Plaza

The Wells Fargo Plaza, completed in 1983 and formerly knwon as the Allied Bank Plaza and First Interstate Bank Plaza, is located at 1000 Louisiana Street in downtown Houston, USA.  This building is currently the 13th-tallest Building in the United States, and the second tallest building in Texas and Houston, after Houston’s JPMorgan Chase Tower. It is the tallest building named for Wells Fargo.  From street level, the building is 302 m tall, contains 71 floors, and is extensively made of green glass. Only the Wells Fargo Plaza offers direct access from the street to the Houston tunnel system; otherwise, entry points are from street-level stairs, escalators, and elevators located inside buildings that are connected to the tunnel.

Burj Dubai – Tallest Skyscraper/Free-Standing Object/Man-Made Structure in the World

Burj Dubai

Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي‎ “Dubai Tower”), a supertall skyscraper topped-out in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 818 m. Construction began on 21 September 2004, and the tower is expected to be ready for occupancy by early 2010.

The building is part of the 2 km² flagship development called “Downtown Burj Dubai” at the “First Interchange” along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai’s main business district. The tower’s architect is Adrian Smith, who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006. The Chicago-based architecture and engineering firm SOM is in charge of the project. The primary builders are Samsung Engineering & Construction and Besix.

Timeline

• 21 September 2004: Emaar contractors begin construction.
• February 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower (since renamed to the Willis Tower) as the building with the most floors.
• 13 May 2007: Sets record for vertical concrete pumping on any building at 452 m, surpassing the 449.2 m  to which concrete was pumped during the construction of Taipei 101.
• 21 July 2007: Surpasses Taipei 101, whose height of 509.2 m made it the world’s tallest building.
• 12 August 2007: Surpasses the Sears Tower (Willis Tower) antenna, which stands 527.3 m
• 3 September 2007: Becomes the second-tallest freestanding structure, surpassing the 540 m Ostankino Tower in Moscow.
• 12 September 2007: At 555.3 m, becomes the world’s tallest freestanding structure, surpassing the CN Tower in Toronto.
• 7 April 2008: At 629 m, surpasses the KVLY-TV Mast to become the tallest man-made structure ever.
• 1 September 2008: Height tops 688 m, making it the tallest man-made structure ever built, surpassing the previous record-holder, the Warsaw Radio Mast in Konstantynów, Poland.
• 17 January 2009: Topped out at 818 m.

Current records

• Tallest structure: 818 m (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m)
• Tallest freestanding structure: 818 m (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m)
• Building with most floors: 160 (previously World Trade Center – 110)
• World’s highest elevator installation
• Worlds fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h or 18 m/s (previously Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s)
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 601 m (previously Taipei 101 – 449.2 m)
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 601 m  (previously Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant – 532 m)
• The first world’s tallest structure in history to include residential space

Height Comparison

Hong Kong Skyline (香港) – World’s Greatest Skyline

Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a largely self-governing territory of the People’s Republic of China, facing Shenzhen to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south. Hong Kong is a global metropolitan and international financial center, and has a highly developed capitalist economy.  Beginning as a trading port, Hong Kong became a crown colony of the United Kingdom in 1842, reclassified as a British dependent territory in 1983, and remained so until the transfer of its sovereignty to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1997. Under the “one country, two systems” policy, Hong Kong enjoys a high degree  of autonomy in all areas with the exception of foreign affairs and defense, which are the responsibility of the PRC Government. As part of this arrangement, Hong Kong continues to maintain its own currency, legal system, political system, immigration control, rule of the road and other aspects that concern its way of life, many of which are distinct from those of mainland China. Renowned for its expansive skyline and natural setting, its identity as a cosmopolitan center where the East meets the West is reflected in its cuisine, cinema, music and traditions. The city’s population is 95% Chinese (speaking almost exclusively Cantonese but English is a second official language with Mandarin being the most prominent “unofficial” language) and with a population of 7 million people but land area of 1,108 km², creates one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s leading financial centers^. Its highly capitalist economy has been ranked the freest in the world by the Index of Economic Freedom for 15 consecutive years^! The currency used in Hong Kong is the Hong Kong dollar.  The territory has little arable land and few natural resources, so it must import most of its food and raw materials. Hong Kong is the world’s eleventh largest trading entity (this is when the single city is compared to countries around the world), with the total value of imports and exports exceeding its gross domestic product. Much of Hong Kong’s exports consist of re-exports, which are products made outside of the territory, especially in mainland China, and distributed via Hong Kong. Currently, Hong Kong’s economy is dominated by the service sector, which accounts for over 90% of its GDP, while industry now constitutes just 9%. Hong Kong’s largest export markets are mainland China, the United States, and Japan.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong has a highly developed transportation network with over 90% of daily travels are on public transport, making it the highest percentage in the world. A tramway system, serving the city since 1904, covers the northern parts of Hong Kong Island and is the only tram system in the world run exclusively with double deckers. The Star Ferry service operates four lines across Victoria Harbor and has been in operation for over 120 years, providing a panoramic view of Hong Kong’s skyline^. It is considered one of the city’s most treasured cultural icons and has been rated as one of the most picturesque ferry crossings in the world. Hong Kong’s steep, hilly terrain calls for some unusual ways of getting up and down the slopes. The Peak Tram, the first public transport system in Hong Kong, has provided vertical rail transport between Central and Victoria Peak since 1888 by steeply ascending the side of a mountain. In Central and Western district, there is an extensive system of escalators and moving pavements, including the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, the Mid-Levels escalator. Hong Kong Harbor is one of the largest and buisest ports in the world (only rivaled by nearby Singapore, Mainland China’s greatest city Shanghai, and Incheon- a suburb of Seoul.)  Hong Kong International Airport is a leading air passenger gateway and logistics hub in Asia (consistently ranked as one of the greatest airports in the world with Singapore International and Incheon-Seoul International) and one of the world’s busiest airports in terms of international passenger and cargo movement.  Overall, Hong Kong was ranked as the 5th greatest city on earth!

Daytime Skyline

Hong Kong has six completed skyscrapers taller than 300 m, (while Chicago has five and Dubai and New York City both have four.)  Hong Kong has a whopping 43 buildings over 200 m tall (2nd most, behind New York City’s 50), 30 of which were built in the year 2000 or later! Hong Kong has a known amount of 228 buildings with known height figures greater than 150 m. [There are a great number of completed buildings ranging from 50 to 63 stories tall that do not have exact height figures given by the owners of the building nor emporis.com. It is possible but not definite that some of these skyscrapers are taller than 150 m; thus, it can only be stated that there are at least 228 buildings that are at least 150 m high which is greater than any city on earth! Chicago has 91 and New York City has 192.  Most speculate that Hong Kong's number of true skyscrapers (continuously habitable buildings of at least 150 m in height) is well over 300.]  By the end of 2008, Hong Kong had the most completed high-rise buildings in the world with 7627 (practically equally New York City, Chicago, and Shanghai combined!!!)

Contrary to common belief, Hong Kong’s skyline shows a large selection of distinct sky-reaching towers, rather than block-style apartments (most of the South American “skylines” are just a large quantity of short blocks.) At night, the skyline glimmers with lighting and reflections.  Also every night, many skyscrapers on both sides of Victoria Harbor light up in a synchronized show called A Symphony of Lights, named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest permanent light and sound festival in the world (this show is coupled with amazing fireworks on holidays, the best being Christmas and the Chinese New Year!  I would consider my life complete after I view the Hong Kong Chinese New Year Show.)

The high density and tall skyline of Hong Kong’s urban area is due to a lack of available space, with the average distance from the harbor front to the steep hills of Hong Kong Island at 1.3 km. This lack of space causing demand for dense, high-rise offices and housing, has resulted in 36 of the world’s 100 tallest residential buildings being in Hong Kong, and more people living or working above the 14th floor than anywhere else on Earth, making it the world’s most vertical city!

As of June 2008, there are 288 high-rises under construction (including Hong Kong’s new king the 484 m International Commerce Centre- probably will be the world’s third tallest skyscraper by roof height trailing the Burj Dubai and the Shanghai Tower), approved for construction, and proposed for construction in Hong Kong!  It is without a doubt that Hong Kong’s skyline is the BEST IN THE WORLD (my personal favorite) and LEADER of the “Big 4” skylines of the world, with the surrounding mountains and Victoria Harbor (and not to mention that Shenzhen’s amazing skyline is so nearby) complementing it to create the most awesome example of man and God working together!  Long live the Champion of the Skyline!!!

The World's Greatest Skyline

Aerial View of Chicago

Chicago

1 World Trade Center – the Future Tallest Skyscraper in New York City

1 World Trade Center

1 World Trade Center, formerly known as the Freedom Tower, is the main building of the new World Trade Center under construction in Lower Manhattan in New York City, USA.  The tower is suppose to be 417 m to the roof of the building (about the same height as the former World Trade Center Twin Towers) and 541.3 m tall to the tip.

1 World Trade Center’s program includes office space, an observation deck, world-class restaurants, parking, and broadcast and antenna facilities, all supported by both above and below-ground mechanical infrastructure for the building and its adjacent public spaces. Below-ground tenant parking and storage, shopping and access to the PATH and subway trains and the World Financial Center are also provided.

A 24 m public lobby topped by a series of mechanical floors form a 61 m building base. 69 tenant floors rise above the base to 341 m elevation. Mechanical floors, two floors to be occupied by the Metropolitan Television Alliance, restaurants and observation decks culminate in an observation deck and glass parapet that mark 415 m and 417 m respectively — the heights of the original Twin Towers. A shrouded antenna structure supported by cables rises to a total height of 541 m (1776 ft), which is symbolic of the year the United States Declaration of Independence was signed (July 4, 1776).  The World Trade Center’s South Tower had an outdoor rooftop observation deck at 420 m and another indoor observation deck at 399 m. 1 World Trade Center’s indoor observation deck, at a height of 386 m, will not be as high as either of the observation decks destroyed in the South Tower.

The following is a breakdown of floors as noted by SkyscraperPage.com:

• 1-19 – tower base (including 80 ft (24 m) tall lobby and 3 mechanical floors)
• 20-63 – offices
• 64 – skylobby
• 65-88 – offices
• 89-99 – mechanical floors
• 100-102 – observation deck and other public facilities to be announced
• 103-108 – mechanical floors

Note that these official designations may not correspond to actual floor levels (in particular at the base).

The building is projected to be ready for occupancy at some point in 2013.  If it will take the title from the Sears Tower as the tallest skyscraper in the Americas will depend on the official height of the skyscraper.

Federation Tower – the Future Tallest Skyscraper in Europe

Federation Tower

The Federation Tower (Russian: Башня «Федерация») is a skyscraper currently under construction as part of the Moscow International Business Center in Moscow, Russia. When completed in 2010 (or maybe even later, initially it was suppose to be done by 2009), it will become the tallest building in Europe. The complex will be two towers connected to one another via a high-rise bridge.  The East Tower is designed to have 93 floors and the tip is suppose to reach about 506 m (roof height of about 360 m.)  The West Tower is designed to be 62 floors and 242 m tall.  The spire (which is slated to be the longest spire in the world) will have a 360° view out its elevators (the world’s highest glass elevators) which will move as quickly as 18 m/s.

International Commerce Center – the Future King of Hong Kong

International Commerce Center

The International Commerce Centre (traditional Chinese: 環球貿易廣場), abbr. ICC Tower, is a 118 floor, 484 m skyscraper under construction in West Kowloon, Hong Kong; as part of the Union Square project built on top of Kowloon Station.   The height has been scaled back from earlier plans due to regulations that didn’t allow buildings to be taller than the surrounding mountains. The original proposal for this building was called Kowloon Station Phase 7 and it was designed to be 574 m tall.  Even with the height reduction, it will still clearly rise over the current tallest in Hong Kong, 2 International Finance Centre.

Its formal development name is Union Square Phase 7 and the name International Commerce Centre was officially announced in 2005. Upon completion by 2010, the skyscraper will become Hong Kong’s tallest building and will have the third highest roof in the world, after the Burj Dubai and the Shanghai World Financial Centre.

A five-star hotel operated by Ritz-Carlton will occupy the top 15 floors of the tower. The hotel’s lobby will be 425 m above the ground, becoming the highest hotel in the world surpassing that of the Park Hyatt in the Shanghai World Financial Centre.

A viewing deck on the 100th floor will be opened to the public when the building opens in 2010.

Chicago Spire – the Future Tallest Skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere

Chicago Spire

The Chicago Spire is a proposed supertall skyscraper in Chicago. Construction work began in 2007 but was put on hold in 2008 (due to USA’s mortgage crisis) before any of the above ground structure had been built.  When completed, at 610 m and with 150 floors, it will be among the world’s tallest buildings and freestanding structures (tallest free standing structure in the Western Hemisphere.) The skyscraper is being constructed along Chicago’s lake front west of Navy Pier, located northeast of Chicago’s Loop, in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area.

For the design of the building, the structure is like an imaginary smoke spiral coming from a campfire near the Chicago River lit by Native Americans indigenous to the area.

Standing at 609.6 m (2000 ft), the Chicago Spire will further transform the always-changing Chicago skyline. Plans for the tower include 1,193 condominiums with each of the building’s 150 stories rotating 2.4 degrees from the one below for a total 360 degree rotation. In February 2008, prices for the condominiums were announced as ranging from $750,000 to $40 million USD. Similar to the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center skydecks, the Chicago Spire will house a community room at the top floor offering residents a view of four states. Currently this full-residential skyscraper is scheduled to be completed by 2012 (although it has been placed on hold indefinately which most likely means that it will never be completed.)

Shanghai Tower – the Pinnacle of Shanghai

Shanghai Tower

The Shanghai Tower (Chinese: 上海中心) is a super tall skyscraper under construction in the Pudong District of Shanghai. Upon completion, the building will rise approximately 632 m, have 128 stories, and contain an area of 380,000 sq meters.  It will be the tallest building in China (including Hong Kong), and one of the tallest in the world (2nd tallest only behind the Burj Dubai as of today.)

Planning models for the Lujiazui financial district dating back to 1993 show plans for three supertall skyscrapers all next to each other. Two have already been built; the Jin Mao Tower (the one in the center and rear of the photo) was completed in 1998, and the Shanghai World Financial Center (the one on the right of the photo) in 2008.

The tower will be organized as nine cylindrical buildings stacked atop each other, enclosed by the glass façade’s inner layer. Between that and the outer layer, which twists as it rises, nine indoor gardens at different levels will provide public space for Shanghai residents. Both layers of the façade will be transparent, and spaces will be provided at the tower’s base. The tower will feature the world’s highest non-enclosed observation deck. The design of the glass façade is described to be able to reduce wind loads on the building by 24%, meaning less construction materials are needed, and the twisting feature will collect rainwater to be used for the tower’s air conditioning and heating systems. Wind turbines will generate power for the building. It will be the first super-tall (300 meters or taller) double-skin building in the world, acting much like a “thermos bottle,”  to insulate it and save energy. The building was originally planned to be completed by 2010, in time for the 2010 World Expo, but is now expected to be finished by 2014.