At the time construction was completed in 1998, the 1,483-foot (452-meter) Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were the world's tallest buildings when measured from the level of the main entrance to the structural or architectural top. They lost out to Taipei 101 in Taiwan with its height of 1,671 feet (509 meters) in 2004. In turn, Taipei will probably bow to the Burj Dubai tower complex.

Plans call for Dubai's pride (Pictured right, via Wikipedia) to reach a height of 2,624 feet, or 800 meters.

BusinessWeek recently noted:

[A] super-sized building boom is now raging in parts of the Middle East such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In fact, Samsung snagged the construction work for the monstrously high Burj Dubai, a tower complex slated to reach 800 meters (2,624 ft.) in height — which will easily blow by Taipei 101 when it's completed in late 2008.

The Petronas Towers may no longer be the world's tallest, but they changed Malaysia and the perception of Kuala Lumpur, worldwide, property consultancy WTW Malaysia CEO Goh Tian Sui recently told BusinessWeek.

"Well-executed skyscrapers can be a real economic-development driver," he said.

Already built, China's Jin Mao Tower boasts 88 floors adding up to a height of 1,380 feet (421 meters). Not to be outdone, the Chinese in Shanghai plan a skyscraper — the Shanghai World Financial Center — that will reach 1,614 feet (492 meters). Shanghai has been building plenty of tall buildings recently.

Although not trying to set a record, South Koreans plan to erect a 1,837-foot (560 meter) Millennium Tower World Business Center to impress visitors to Busan and invite more business. If all goes as expected, the tower will reach its maximum height in 2010 or 2011.

With the influx of dollars into Asia and the Middle East, and the more impressive economic growth rates, such monumental construction feats aren't too surprising. But back in the United States, entrepreneurs still have a yen for creating imposing buildings.

Construction erecting the 150-story skyscraper the Chicago Spire will begin this summer, The Chicago Tribune recently noted. The project, besides resulting in North America's tallest building (2,000 feet; 610 m), will include an unusual feature: a twisting exterior to deflect wind.

Computer rendering of the Chicago Spire. This is the current design as of April 20, 2007.
Credit: Santiago Calatrava - Shelbourne Development Group, Inc.

To construct the world's tallest residential tower is an engineering and management feat that few teams could accomplish, Boston-based Suffolk Construction Co. Executive VP Jeffrey Gouveia told The Chicago Tribune. "When you get to this height, there's serious pressure on a building from wind, and there's the terrorism component. For reinforcement, it requires significantly more steel that's custom engineered."

"Once you go above 65 stories, the challenges increase exponentially," according to John B. Hynes III, chief executive of Gale International, which in a joint venture is developing a $30 billion city in South Korea. "You can buy the talent, but the materials and manpower required doubles the cost from the basement to the top."

In early-May, the Chicago city council approved the construction of the building, which, when completed, will be the tallest building in North America, according to ChicagoArchitecture.info. Estimated to cost $2.4 billion (now), the building should be completed by 2009, according to the online source for the city's architecture and development (although other sources cite 2010 as the expected year of completion).

The building, which now is slated to be completely residential, is expected to bring in big business for Chicago, too:

• The initially proposed 300 apartments and 150 hotel rooms are now conceived as at least 1,200 condominium units. (6/11/07 update)
• Within three months of its announcement, 800 people had contacted the developer wanting to buy condominiums in the building.

Some local people refer to the structure as Chicago's "drill bit." Architecture Magazine's Edward Keegan has pointed out "many critics have noted [the dome-like roof that replaces the once-blunt roof] gives the entire tower the unfortunate form of a sex toy."

Well, if sex sells, perhaps the new structure will be particularly big business for the Windy City. We wonder, will it be anything like London's "Erotic Gherkin"?

Resources

The Race for the Tallest Skyscraper
by Brian Bremner
BusinessWeek, May 2007

Developer in new league
by Susan Diesenhouse
The Chicago Tribune, May 20, 2007

Chicago Spire
ChicagoArchitecture.info

The Chicago Spire to become world's tallest residential building
Gizmagazine.com

Chicago spire's latest form unveiled
by Edward Keegan
Architect Magazine, May 1, 2007