Each country has its own attractions. One of the many symbols of the United States of America is the Willis Tower skyscraper in Chicago.
High-rise building
The sixties of the 20th century are known in the USA as the “building boom” when high-rise buildings were erected at a rapid pace. The developers of one of the business centers of Chicago decided to profitably use 5000 square meters. meters (an area equal to an eight-lane highway). So the idea of ​​building a skyscraper was born. The work lasted only two and a few years, and in 1973 the tower was completely completed. Such a high speed of construction is due to the large number of workers (about two and a half thousand people) and uninterrupted financing (the final cost of the building is estimated at $ 150 million).
Design features
Bruce Graham (chief architect of the building) and Fazlur Khan (chief engineer) used steel as a supporting material, so that the structure could withstand the blows of strong Chicago winds.
Along the perimeter up to the 50th floor there are nine connected steel structures, up to the 66th floor there are already seven, then up to the 90th floor - five, and the last floors are supported by two steel ceilings. The decrease in fortifications is associated with a unique design of the building, which tapers up. Designers provide for the completion of the building up if desired and necessary. In order to strengthen the piles under the tower, which number 114 pieces, were hammered into a rocky terrain to a depth of 13 meters.
Skyscraper Description
Willis Tower is a building with an office space of 418 thousand square meters. meters. The skyscraper has a height of 110 floors. The height of the Willis Tower is 443 meters.
The mass of the tower is estimated at two hundred twenty two and a half thousand tons. For a quarter century, the tower was considered the highest not only in the United States, but throughout the world. Willis is currently one of the five tallest skyscrapers in the world, behind the Malaysian Petrones Twins Tower, Shanghai Financial Center, Taipei 101 and, of course, Burj Khalifa.
The steel on the Willis Tower skyscraper, the photo of which can be seen in the article, is faced with black anodized aluminum , the tower windows, and there are about 16 thousand of them, also with dark glasses. Therefore, the majestic building in black stands out against other skyscrapers and can be seen far beyond the city limits.
Willis Tower: Observation Deck
Chicagoans pride themselves on having the tallest building in the US in their city. Tourists include a visit to the observation deck, located on the 103rd floor of a skyscraper, in the mandatory list. It is called Skidek. Every year, one and a half million tourists from all over the world come here. The average daily attendance of the tower is 25 thousand people. Two high-speed elevators run to the observation deck, which take tourists one hundred and third floor within one minute.
The emotions received from being on the observation deck overwhelm visitors. As a result of the reconstruction, four balconies appeared on it, protruding beyond the general perimeter of the building. They are completely made of transparent glass, including the floor, so that tourists have the opportunity to tickle their nerves.
Located at an altitude of 412 meters above the ground, you can see all the attractions of Chicago and features of the city. With good visibility from the Skydeck observation deck, it is easy to see the territory within a radius of 80 km.
This shows not only the state of Illinois, where Chicago is located, but also the neighboring ones: Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana.
Building use
The main purpose of the skyscraper is the placement of offices and business centers. For the convenience of all visitors, the building has 16 two-tier elevators that raise visitors to the "waiting" floors.
Willis Tower plays an important role in broadcasting the city. In 2000, four super-powerful antennas 9 meters long were installed on its roof. They provide signals to all of multi-million dollar Chicago. They take lightning strikes during a thunderstorm: according to statistics, this happens about two times a day.
Interesting information
The greatness and height of the Willis Tower attract the attention of fans of extreme sports, including climbers. The first to conquer the tower is Dan Goodwin, who, in a Spiderman costume, climbed to the top of a skyscraper using alpine equipment in 1981. Without equipment, Allen Robert defeated the tower in 1999.
Willis Tower is sometimes the setting for filming movies and shows. The skyscraper can be seen in the third part of Transformers, in the documentary Life After People.
The area of ​​the tower is so large that 57 football fields could fit.
For cleaning the windows and walls of the building, washing stations located on the roof are provided on the front side. They clean the skyscraper once a month and a half.
Willis Tower in a number of attractions in Chicago
Travelers, arriving in the city, seek first of all to visit the most famous places. In Chicago, it's Millennium Park on Lake Michigan with a public sculpture of Cloud Gate. The world famous Chicago Magnificent Mile is a huge shopping street on Michigan Avenue. The city is home to the oldest Wrigley Field baseball stadium in the United States. A natural history museum with dinosaur skeletons, stuffed Tsavo lions and giant African elephants is also located in Chicago.
Willis Tower (address: Chicago city, South Wacker Drive 233) takes a worthy place among the city's attractions.
Tourists without fail go to the tower, line up to enjoy the beauty and grandeur of the city and Lake Michigan from a bird's eye view. Willis Tower is considered a symbol of America - the country of skyscrapers.