Tallest Residential Tower-The Chicago Spire

[Jan 14]CHICAGO, USA--After a four-month delay, Dublin-based Shelbourne Development Ltd. will start selling the 1,194 super-luxury units it plans to build in a twisting 2,000-foot-tall tower designed by architect Santiago Calatrava.

  Photo: The Chicago Spire as presented by Architect Santiago Calatrava and Developer Garrett Kelleher Thursday, April 18, 2007.
/Handout illustration  ( enlarge photo )

   No two residences are alike at The Chicago Spire, with each suite, gallery, one-four bedroom home and penthouse offering a unique floor plan and outstanding city and lakefront views.

   Ranging from 534 - 10,309 square feet, units are priced from USD 750,000. The largest home, a spectacular two-floor penthouse, is USD 40,000,000.

     The Chicago Spire, situated on a 2.2 acre site where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan, will be the world's tallest residential building . Conceived as an environmentally sensitive project, The Chicago Spire is designed to meet the gold standard of LEED certification and has already won a number of awards for its innovative approach to design and construction.

    Some of the many environmentally-sensitive features include a vacuum garbage shoot with automatic sorting for recycling, recycled rainwater for landscape maintenance and a highly efficient geo-thermal cooling system.

   In addition, The Chicago Spire will have the world's longest elevator run at 1,864 feet, shattering the current world record by 500 feet.
   Shelbourne not only wants to build the world's tallest residential tower , with prices of $1,400 a square foot and higher, but also aims to raise the price level of luxury living in downtown Chicago.

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    Mr. Kelleher’s Shelbourne Development Group Inc. says “Our world-class team is creating what will not only become a spectacular home for its residents, but a dramatic new contribution to Chicago’s skyline.

   ”Already about 600 people have made appointments to visit the sales office at 455 N. Cityfront Plaza. "

   There's interest in the building because it's one-of-a-kind," a Shelbourne spokeswoman said last week. With most units priced from $750,000 to $15 million, she added, "it will appeal to a specific audience."

   After initially opening its office to American investors, Shelbourne will launch the development overseas where it expects to sell at least 1,000 units. Shelbourne chief executive Garrett Kelleher said the company's international road show starts on Jan. 23 where it will visit Dublin, London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Moscow, Johannesburg and other major capitals.

   The architect of Chicago Spire is Santiago Calatrava. When delivered in 2011 with 150 stories, it is expected to stand taller than Chicago's Sears Towers, New York's upcoming Freedom Tower and Toronto's CN Tower. It was originally launched on July 2005, but had undergone three major design revisions.

Construction started
   The construction of the Chicago Spire started in July 2007. The subground phase, which involves the drilling of 34 supporting caissons into 120 feet of bedrock, is expected to be completed by the first quarter of this year.

    Developer: Shelbourne Development Ltd.

    Architect/engineer: Santiago Calatrava Height: 2,000 feet, which is taller than Sears Tower (1,450 feet)

    Number of stories: 150, with a proposed multistory "transparent" lobby

    Address: 400 N. Lake Shore Drive

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