The Willis Tower and Cloud Gate

886 Words4 Pages
When I think of Chicago I envision the famous Wills Tower (formerly Sears Tower), the tallest building in the United States. One of the most popular places visited by thousands of people each year. The Willis Tower is a building that illustrates the consummate integration of architecture and engineering, and is one of the most recognizable landmarks in in the Chicago skyline and in the world. In Chicago’s downtown area alone, I would say there are around hundred public artworks. One that stood out to me the most is the “Cloud Gate”, also known as the “Bean”. It’s a kidney shaped stainless steel structure reflecting the surrounding skyscrapers. The massive tower was designed by the architecture firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merill and was built in 1973. After the building was done being constructed, it held the record of the world’s tallest buildings for 25 years. The Willis Tower is strategically located on Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois and is a home to its largest corporations and commuter rail stations. This was a smart place to construct it, because many people in the area were in need of office space. When it was finished being build, it was filled with about twelve thousand workers. The building also features different amenities including tallest skydeck, world-class broadcast platform, full service conference center, fitness facility and exceptional technology features. The Willis Tower is an attractive and contemporary hundred stories tall office tower building made of steel columns and beams. The Willis Tower has a steel frame that is surrounded in bronze tinted glass and stainless aluminum. The foundation consists of hundred-foot deep hole, and is surrounded by two hundred circular caissons around the foundation. In the lobby is a major work by the American sculptor Alexander Calder; an enormous motorized mural named “Universe” also called

More about The Willis Tower and Cloud Gate

Open Document