The World’s Tallest and Scariest Buildings
Ben Barna
July 03, 2008
A couple of days ago, while I was doing my daily assessment of the Freedom Tower’s progress (today’s assessment: belligerent), I discovered that once completed, it will be the second tallest building in America. I was shocked they couldn’t build something taller than the Sears Tower in Chicago. Is liberty, and pain, and triumph, not enough to topple couches, blenders and mattress delivery? Actually, turns out it is. It’s something called the Chicago Spire that we can’t quite beat.
The spire is a twister of a structure that’s being built in Chicago as we speak (that’s it to the left). It’s alien aura is made even more disquieting by it’s purely residential status. People are going to live in that thing? All of it? It reminds me of those twister popsicles I still enjoy from time to time, without the fruity flavors. Donald Trump opposed the building, claiming it would be an easy target for terrorists, unlike the Trump International Hotel and Tower he’s building just a few blocks west, which is terror-proof.
The Spire would become the tallest building in the world, were it not for the boundless ambitions of Dubai, who are building something called the Burj Dubai, an atmosphere-jabbing scraper that rockets above the rest of the city. It’s terrifyingly tall and reduces the rest of the once noble Dubai skyline into puny servants. It’s also a middle finger to the rest of the architectural world. Go big or go home. These buildings (and this one) mean that the skylines promised to us by science fiction are upon us, and I for one, am terrified. To learn more about skylines, and for a calculated ranking of the world’s best, head here.
Comments (3)
Posted by Steve on Wed Jul 16, 2008 at 12.32 am
Umm.. what about the Russia tower? Chicago Spire will be 3rd, behind the russia tower and burj dubai…
Posted by Reaperducer on Sun Jul 20, 2008 at 05.12 pm
“What about the Russia tower?” Are you serious? Who cares about the Russia Tower. The top of it is hollow. If they were next to each other someone standing on the top floor of the Chicago Spire could look down almost 400 FEET (40 stories!) at someone standing on the top floor of the Russia Tower.
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Posted by Chuck on Tue Jul 8, 2008 at 10.38 pm
Nobody’s quite sure the Spire will be built. Though the foundation is in place and sales seem good, there isn’t a whole lot being said about financing the project beyond the foundation.