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Design and construction of Chicago's concrete colossus
When completed in 2009, the Trump International Hotel and Tower® in Chicago, IL, will rise to a height of 1134 ft (345.6 m). Including the spire, the structure will be 1362 ft (415.1 m) tall. The building is currently being constructed on the north side of the Chicago River, between Wabash Avenue and Rush Street, at the site of the recently-demolished Chicago Sun-Times building.
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), the 92-story structure will not only be the tallest reinforced concrete building in the U. S., it will be the tallest building built in North America since the completion of the Sears Tower in 1974. The tower's 2.6 million ft^sup 2^ (240,000 m^sup 2^) of floor space will incorporate 472 condo units, 286 hotel units, a health club, parking for 1000 cars, and 100,000 ft^sup 2^ (9300 m^sup 2^) of retail space. Four levels of the structure will be below grade (the two lowest levels will be below the level of the directly-adjacent Chicago River) and will contain retail and mechanical space.
Encased in stainless steel and glass, the tower shaft will rise from a newly landscaped plaza that will include a new riverwalk that will link the pedestrian level with the retail shops. The building will feature setbacks at Levels 16, 29, and 51 that correspond to the top elevations of prominent neighboring buildings, providing visual continuity with the building's surroundings (Fig. 1). These buildings include the historic Wrigley Building to the east, Bertrand Goldberg's Marina City to the west, and Mies van der Rohe's IBM Building located directly across Wabash Avenue.
STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
A core and outrigger system provides the lateral stability for the Trump Tower. Large outrigger elements tie the concrete core to perimeter columns, significantly increasing the building's lateral stiffness as well as its resistance to overturning due to wind.
The core is located at the center of the building and consists of I-shaped and C-shaped walls (Fig. 2). The webs of these I- and C-sections are oriented in the north-south direction, are 18 in. (460 mm) thick, and are 41 ft (12.5 m) long. The flanges of the sections are oriented in the east-west direction, are 48 in. (1.2 m)...