Chicago Otters: New world's tallest residential tower proposed.

Green Jello · 07-26-05, 01:54 PM

Proposed building would be nation’s tallest

July 26, 2005

BY DAVID ROEDER AND KEVIN NANCE Staff Reporters

Chicago's lakefront would get a contender for the title of tallest building in the United States under a developer's plan devised in partnership with Santiago Calatrava, one of the world's foremost architects.

Christopher Carley, chairman of Fordham Co., has shown city officials Calatrava's plan for the Fordham Spire, a hotel/condo tower at 346 E. North Water, where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan and across Lake Shore Drive from Navy Pier.

At 115 stories, the tower would be 1,458 feet to its roof, taller by eight feet than the roof of Sears Tower. But the Calatrava building would include a spire that, depending on structural details, would bring the building to around 2,000 feet.

'Financiers are in awe of this man'

Renderings of the Fordham Spire show a tall, slender, ethereal building whose glass-and-steel surface cascades down a central concrete core. The floor slabs are cantilevered out from the core, with each rotated about two degrees from the one below. As they rise, the floors turn 270 degrees around the core, creating an undulating effect like a gown or cloak.

"I know that Chicago is an Indian name, and I can imagine in the oldest time the Native Americans arriving at the lake and making a fire, with a tiny column of smoke going up in the air," Calatrava said. "With this simple gesture of turning one floor a little past another, you achieve this form."

Carley said the task of lining up money for the possibly $500 million building "has been the easiest in my career'' because of Calatrava, best known in the U.S. for his 2001 addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum and his planned transit hub at New York's Ground Zero. "Financiers are in awe of this man."

So are many architects. "He's a fabulous architect and structural engineer," says Chicago's Adrian Smith, a partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. "I love the sculptural quality of his work, how he relates the shape of his buildings to the structural forces in them. His work is very beautiful -- not often steely or tough, but usually highly refined and soft and sensual. He's one of a kind."

FORDHAM SPIRE
Location: 346 E. North Water
Height: 1,458 feet to the roof, about 2,000 feet counting spire
Stories: 115
Square footage: 920,000
Projected cost: more than $500 million
Building use: 200-250 condos, 200-250 hotel rooms, retail and parking at the base
Possible construction start: May 2006
Possible completion: 2009
Developer: Fordham Co.
Architect: Santiago Calatrava

Political, financial hurdles

The main questions for the Carley-Calatrava team are whether the structure, planned as a mix of condominiums and hotel units, can be financed and whether it is politically realistic. It falls within the Streeterville neighborhood, a concentration of well-to-do residents increasingly irritable over new high-rises in their midst.

For Carley, meanwhile, the building would be a step up in the development game. After years of putting up multifamily housing around the Midwest, he entered the downtown market in the late 1990s and completed three major condo buildings, a low-rise at 65 E. Goethe and high-rises at 21 E. Huron and 25 E. Superior.

All catered to wealthy buyers. Sales were slower than expected and Carley had to refinance his loans. He said all his lenders have been repaid and that his relationships with them are good.

His company has a contract to buy the 2.2-acre site from affiliates of Chicago-based LR Development Co. LLC.

Carley said his confidence in completing the building "is more than [for] any project I've ever done because the city administration appreciates great architecture.'' He said he courted Calatrava for three years before finding a site suitable for the architect's artistic and engineering gifts.

Will neighbors support plan?

But in the end, the partnership was forged by "personal chemistry,'' Carley said. "I think he was impressed by my dedication to the city and my desire to do something for the city.''

While his plan could stir controversy, it plays into Mayor Daley's pronounced desire to have top-flight architects leave an imprint in Chicago. Also, Carley employs the law firm of Daley & George, whose name partner is mayoral brother Michael Daley. The firm has one of the busiest zoning practices in the city.

Carley said city planners saw the project's details in May and were impressed by the curved, flowing profile of the building. A spokeswoman for the city's Planning Department said the agency would not comment on the design until developers submit a formal zoning plan.

Carley said his plan needs a zoning variance to change the height limitation on the site. And therein lies an argument he'll use against any critics.

Current zoning, he said, lets him put up two buildings on the site in the range of 35 and 50 stories. Going taller and skinnier will minimize blockage of sunlight and views, Carley said.

In addition, he said a Calatrava building will raise property values for the neighbors.

It's not known if the residents will buy that argument. Rosalie Harris, executive director of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, said the group has been shown only a few details of the project and not enough on which to form an opinion.

The group orchestrated a campaign against a proposed 64-story tower near the landmark Fourth Presbyterian Church at Michigan and Delaware, causing the local alderman to come out against it.

Birrman54 · 07-26-05, 01:56 PM

I think it looks awesome. Why isn't the spire included in the height? I thought the Petronas height included the spires.

birrman54

Green Jello · 07-26-05, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birrman54

I think it looks awesome. Why isn't the spire included in the height? I thought the Petronas height included the spires.

birrman54

It will be included in the "official" height, but ever since Petronas, there has been a lot of backlash as to the "real" height of a building, especially in Chicago.

JasonF · 07-26-05, 02:00 PM

I saw that in this morning's Trib. It looks pretty cool. Trump is apparently blowing a gasket because he was planning his tower just after 9-11 and so scaled back plans for it to be taller than the Sears Tower.

By the way, this won't be the tallest in the world -- just in the U.S. Petronas, Taipei, and the not-yet-complete Burj Dubai in UAE would all be taller (depending on how you measure these things).

JasonF · 07-26-05, 02:03 PM

Also, whoever designed that graphic ought to lose their job for the way they printed the heights of the Hancock, Aon, and Trump.

Green Jello · 07-26-05, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonF

By the way, this won't be the tallest in the world -- just in the U.S. Petronas, Taipei, and the not-yet-complete Burj Dubai in UAE would all be taller (depending on how you measure these things).

No, it's just planned to be the tallest residential building in the world and the tallest building in the US at 2000' with spire.

Can the twisted sides incorporate a fun slide for quick evacuation purposes?

The Bus · 07-26-05, 02:07 PM

"Oh my..."

kvrdave · 07-26-05, 02:08 PM

It looks like a drill bit coming through from China. A very BIG drill bit. Be afraid.

La Bella Rose · 07-26-05, 02:09 PM

Cool... That first pic looks so awesome I hope they build it.

rabbit77 · 07-26-05, 02:09 PM

We're getting closer and closer to SC2K Arcologies.

Like cloudgate at Millenium Park being called the Bean, how can this structure not get called the Birthday Candle?

JasonF · 07-26-05, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green Jello

No, it's just planned to be the tallest residential building in the world and the tallest building in the US at 2000' with spire.

Can the twisted sides incorporate a fun slide for quick evacuation purposes?

Ah ... I missed the word "residential" in the title.

What's the current tallest residential building in the world? Hancock?

Green Jello · 07-26-05, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonF

Ah ... I missed the word "residential" in the title.

What's the current tallest residential building in the world? Hancock?

I don't remember. I think it WAS going to be the new Trump tower at the old Sun Times lot when it opened in 2008, and that's why he's soo pissed.

I think Hancock was at one time, but I'm not sure if it still holds the title.

Edit:
Here's a current list. Looks like Hancock might not qualify since it is partially office building as well.

http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/ty/rs/

The Bus · 07-26-05, 02:41 PM

Green Jello · 07-26-05, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Bus

I like the slight tilt!

Nosmo Rex · 07-26-05, 03:13 PM

They should have used this design for the WTC replacmenent. It has a nice "Screw You" look to it.

JasonF · 07-26-05, 03:14 PM

That Emporis website is really cool.

Green Jello · 07-26-05, 03:52 PM

So who here lives in Chicago? Chitown-Abs? I want to know what is currently in that lot?

JasonF · 07-26-05, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green Jello

So who here lives in Chicago? Chitown-Abs? I want to know what is currently in that lot?

Overgrown grass, gravel, trees, and a construction trailer.

Hard as it is to believe, there is some prime real estate in Chicago that is undeveloped. Do a search on Block 37.

zuffy · 07-26-05, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Bus

make it red and white

Green Jello · 07-26-05, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonF

Overgrown grass, gravel, trees, and a construction trailer.

Hard as it is to believe, there is some prime real estate in Chicago that is undeveloped. Do a search on Block 37.

Thanks! Here's an aerial shot:

Pretty cool how it's just across Lakeshore Dr. from Chicago's current most famous residential tower.

07-26-05, 01:54 PM	#1
Green Jello Banned Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 2,893	Chicago Otters: New world's tallest residential tower proposed. Proposed building would be nation’s tallest July 26, 2005 BY DAVID ROEDER AND KEVIN NANCE Staff Reporters Chicago's lakefront would get a contender for the title of tallest building in the United States under a developer's plan devised in partnership with Santiago Calatrava, one of the world's foremost architects. Christopher Carley, chairman of Fordham Co., has shown city officials Calatrava's plan for the Fordham Spire, a hotel/condo tower at 346 E. North Water, where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan and across Lake Shore Drive from Navy Pier. At 115 stories, the tower would be 1,458 feet to its roof, taller by eight feet than the roof of Sears Tower. But the Calatrava building would include a spire that, depending on structural details, would bring the building to around 2,000 feet. 'Financiers are in awe of this man' Renderings of the Fordham Spire show a tall, slender, ethereal building whose glass-and-steel surface cascades down a central concrete core. The floor slabs are cantilevered out from the core, with each rotated about two degrees from the one below. As they rise, the floors turn 270 degrees around the core, creating an undulating effect like a gown or cloak. "I know that Chicago is an Indian name, and I can imagine in the oldest time the Native Americans arriving at the lake and making a fire, with a tiny column of smoke going up in the air," Calatrava said. "With this simple gesture of turning one floor a little past another, you achieve this form." Carley said the task of lining up money for the possibly $500 million building "has been the easiest in my career'' because of Calatrava, best known in the U.S. for his 2001 addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum and his planned transit hub at New York's Ground Zero. "Financiers are in awe of this man." So are many architects. "He's a fabulous architect and structural engineer," says Chicago's Adrian Smith, a partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. "I love the sculptural quality of his work, how he relates the shape of his buildings to the structural forces in them. His work is very beautiful -- not often steely or tough, but usually highly refined and soft and sensual. He's one of a kind." FORDHAM SPIRE Location: 346 E. North Water Height: 1,458 feet to the roof, about 2,000 feet counting spire Stories: 115 Square footage: 920,000 Projected cost: more than $500 million Building use: 200-250 condos, 200-250 hotel rooms, retail and parking at the base Possible construction start: May 2006 Possible completion: 2009 Developer: Fordham Co. Architect: Santiago Calatrava Political, financial hurdles The main questions for the Carley-Calatrava team are whether the structure, planned as a mix of condominiums and hotel units, can be financed and whether it is politically realistic. It falls within the Streeterville neighborhood, a concentration of well-to-do residents increasingly irritable over new high-rises in their midst. For Carley, meanwhile, the building would be a step up in the development game. After years of putting up multifamily housing around the Midwest, he entered the downtown market in the late 1990s and completed three major condo buildings, a low-rise at 65 E. Goethe and high-rises at 21 E. Huron and 25 E. Superior. All catered to wealthy buyers. Sales were slower than expected and Carley had to refinance his loans. He said all his lenders have been repaid and that his relationships with them are good. His company has a contract to buy the 2.2-acre site from affiliates of Chicago-based LR Development Co. LLC. Carley said his confidence in completing the building "is more than [for] any project I've ever done because the city administration appreciates great architecture.'' He said he courted Calatrava for three years before finding a site suitable for the architect's artistic and engineering gifts. Will neighbors support plan? But in the end, the partnership was forged by "personal chemistry,'' Carley said. "I think he was impressed by my dedication to the city and my desire to do something for the city.'' While his plan could stir controversy, it plays into Mayor Daley's pronounced desire to have top-flight architects leave an imprint in Chicago. Also, Carley employs the law firm of Daley & George, whose name partner is mayoral brother Michael Daley. The firm has one of the busiest zoning practices in the city. Carley said city planners saw the project's details in May and were impressed by the curved, flowing profile of the building. A spokeswoman for the city's Planning Department said the agency would not comment on the design until developers submit a formal zoning plan. Carley said his plan needs a zoning variance to change the height limitation on the site. And therein lies an argument he'll use against any critics. Current zoning, he said, lets him put up two buildings on the site in the range of 35 and 50 stories. Going taller and skinnier will minimize blockage of sunlight and views, Carley said. In addition, he said a Calatrava building will raise property values for the neighbors. It's not known if the residents will buy that argument. Rosalie Harris, executive director of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, said the group has been shown only a few details of the project and not enough on which to form an opinion. The group orchestrated a campaign against a proposed 64-story tower near the landmark Fourth Presbyterian Church at Michigan and Delaware, causing the local alderman to come out against it.

07-26-05, 02:00 PM	#4
JasonF DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: The greater Chicagoland area Posts: 31,998	I saw that in this morning's Trib. It looks pretty cool. Trump is apparently blowing a gasket because he was planning his tower just after 9-11 and so scaled back plans for it to be taller than the Sears Tower. By the way, this won't be the tallest in the world -- just in the U.S. Petronas, Taipei, and the not-yet-complete Burj Dubai in UAE would all be taller (depending on how you measure these things). __________________ These are my DVDs 360 GamerTag: William T Bunny PSN ID: William_T_Bunny "JasonF can do no wrong!" -- Rockmjd23

07-26-05, 02:03 PM	#5
JasonF DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: The greater Chicagoland area Posts: 31,998	Also, whoever designed that graphic ought to lose their job for the way they printed the heights of the Hancock, Aon, and Trump. __________________ These are my DVDs 360 GamerTag: William T Bunny PSN ID: William_T_Bunny "JasonF can do no wrong!" -- Rockmjd23

07-26-05, 02:07 PM	#7
The Bus DVD Talk Godfather Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: New York Posts: 51,654	"Oh my..." __________________ Movies: 2002 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 2013 "Too much disclaiming in this post." – Dr. Mabuse

07-26-05, 02:08 PM	#8
kvrdave DVD Talk God Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 79,313	It looks like a drill bit coming through from China. A very BIG drill bit. Be afraid. __________________ Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C.S. Lewis

07-26-05, 01:56 PM	#2
Birrman54 DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Hoboken, NJ Posts: 3,067	I think it looks awesome. Why isn't the spire included in the height? I thought the Petronas height included the spires. birrman54

07-26-05, 02:09 PM	#9
La Bella Rose DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: May 2005 Location: Looking for my pants... Posts: 2,029	Cool... That first pic looks so awesome I hope they build it. __________________ Shenanigans make the world go round...

07-26-05, 02:09 PM	#10
rabbit77 DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Des Plaines, IL Posts: 6,665	We're getting closer and closer to SC2K Arcologies. Like cloudgate at Millenium Park being called the Bean, how can this structure not get called the Birthday Candle?

07-26-05, 02:41 PM	#13
The Bus DVD Talk Godfather Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: New York Posts: 51,654	__________________ Movies: 2002 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 2013 "Too much disclaiming in this post." – Dr. Mabuse

07-26-05, 03:13 PM	#15
Nosmo Rex DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Beaverton, OR, USA Posts: 2,536	They should have used this design for the WTC replacmenent. It has a nice "Screw You" look to it. __________________ XBL Gamertag: NosmoRex711

07-26-05, 03:14 PM	#16
JasonF DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: The greater Chicagoland area Posts: 31,998	That Emporis website is really cool. __________________ These are my DVDs 360 GamerTag: William T Bunny PSN ID: William_T_Bunny "JasonF can do no wrong!" -- Rockmjd23

07-26-05, 03:52 PM	#17
Green Jello Banned Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 2,893	So who here lives in Chicago? Chitown-Abs? I want to know what is currently in that lot?