Glass Steel and StoneArchitecture encyclopedia and photo library.Ryugyong Hotel- (Found June 24, 2008 ) A symbol of a once proud country's dashed hopes and dreams, the Ryugyong Hotel is now a massive, constant reminder of how a government off track can take an entire country with it. The soaring pyramid was started in the late 1980's -- a decade before Asia would be plunged into an economic crisis. It rose to a height of 105 stories and its essential structure was completed bef...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=3192 353 North Clark- (Found June 24, 2008 ) It's been said that if a new skyscraper isn't at least 80 stories, it goes unnoticed in Chicago. This fine tower may be a victim of that kind of dismissive attitude. It's a nice builting that would be welcomed in just about any other American city, but for some reason failed to make a splash in the birthplace of the skyscraper. At 45 stories, it's not setting any r...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=3167 Burj Dubai- (Found June 24, 2008 ) When completed, this building is intended to be the tallest in the world. Originally, it was in the running with the Freedom Tower in New York, however, the Burj Dubai has the advantage of actually having begun construction while the New York project has been bogged down in political and sentimental interests. Just how tall the tower will be remains to be seen. With any skyscraper, th...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=701 Skybridge- (Found June 24, 2008 ) At first glance, this building appears unfinished. Or perhaps it was winged by a passing meteor. But this is architecture. Award-winning architecture. Skybridge was one of the first developments to usher in a new era of modern residential living in the area just west of the Chicago River. Though most people will notice the beckoning trellis that extends the roof line over the northe...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=1278 Hyatt Center- (Found June 24, 2008 ) A shot across the bow of the forces of West Loop darkness. The Hyatt Center rises from amid an overgrown forest of skyscrapers to spread light through a part of Chicago that previously seemed in perpetual shadow. The building takes the form of a smooth oval with indentations at its two most acute points. Those indentations seem to be the silvery skin of this tower peeling back to reve...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=1139 LaSalle-Wacker Building- (Found June 24, 2008 ) One of the great Art Deco piles of Chicago, the LaSalle-Wacker Building is based on a classic design, but doesn't take itself too seriously. This is one of the few buildings of its era that still embraces and celebrates its heritage. Instead of pretending to be something modern, it illuminates its light wells at night in colored flood light. Its crowning spire can't compete with those...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=1061 John Hancock Center (Chicago)- (Found June 24, 2008 ) An iconic presence in a city of architectural icons, the John Hancock Center rises boldly from the mid-American prairie to cast a cultural shadow much larger than the one it gets from the sun. It is a staple of movies, television newscasts, t-shirts, corporate logos and children's drawings. The John Hancock Center is photographed, idealized, and simplified into its various componen...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=1006 311 South Wacker Drive- (Found June 24, 2008 ) 311 South Wacker Drive is a worthy accompaniment to the Sears Tower next door. In its stature it mimics the Sears, and from certain angles, its flanking wings appear to be setbacks in the same manner as its neighbor. 311 South Wacker stands out, in part, because of its location. Aside from Sears, there are few nearby towers tall enough to compete with it. Another tower planned for this plot of...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=1055 300 South Wacker- (Found June 24, 2008 ) 300 South Wacker is another one of those brown buildings that came along in the middle of the 20th century and mocked the Chicago River. But at least this one has some architectural merit. The buildings form appears as a tall shaft of concrete upon which wings of black glass offices have been hung. The result allows most of the buildings mechanical functions to be centralized and maximizes va...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=1120 Home Insurance Building- (Found June 24, 2008 ) New Yorkers may have a hard time admitting it, but Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper. And this building is the skyscraper that started it all. The Home Insurance Building was born out of the building frenzy that followed the Great Chicago Fire. The city, formerly made largely from wood, was being re-built in stone, iron, and a new material called steel. The building boom he...http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail.php?ID=3168 |