REACHING FOR THE SKY

ASEE Prism, Sep 2005 by Shallcross, Lynne

SOLAR POWER

AS HOME TO three of the 15 tallest buildings in the world, Chicago's skyline is already a shrine for skyscraper enthusiasts. But developer Christopher T. Carley of Fordham Co. wants to add one more to that list-one that would bypass plans for New York's Freedom Tower to become the nation's tallest.

Dubbed the Fordham Spire, the 115-story twisting building overlooking Lake Michigan was designed by Spanish-born star architect and engineer-by-training Santiago Calatrava. The condominium and hotel building would measure 1,458 feet at its rooftop, with its spire reaching to about 2,000 feet. With their antennas, the Sears Tower reaches 1,729 feet and the proposed Freedom lower would reach 1,776 feet.

But reaching the sky in Chicago doesn't come cheap: units in the $500-million building are expected to sell for about $800 per square foot. -LS