Willis Tower, Skyscraper in Chicago Loop, United States
Willis Tower is an office tower in the Chicago Loop that rises 442 meters across 108 floors above ground. The facade is clad in black aluminum and thousands of glass windows arranged in a rectangular grid that steps back at intervals as it climbs.
Construction started in 1970 for Sears Roebuck & Company and took four years to complete, opening in 1974. The tower held the title of tallest building in the world for more than two decades until 1998.
Tourists from across the world step into the glass box while office workers inside the tower conduct meetings just floors away, as if two separate worlds occupy the same address. Locals still call the building the Sears Tower, showing how deeply the former tenant remains embedded in the city memory.
The Skydeck on the 103rd floor is the main draw for views that stretch across several states. Booking online helps avoid long lines, especially on weekends and during summer months.
The design uses nine square tubes arranged in a three by three matrix, with seven stepping back at different heights. This bundled tube system allowed large floor spans without interior columns and changed the way engineers build skyscrapers around the world.
Location: Chicago
Inception: 1974
Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Bruce Graham, Fazlur Khan
Official opening: May 1973
Architectural style: International Style
Floors above the ground: 110
Floors below the ground: 3
Elevators: 104
Height: 442.1 m
Made from material: glass, aluminium, steel
Website: http://willistower.com
GPS coordinates: 41.87861,-87.63583
Latest update: December 2, 2025 21:21
This collection brings together skyscrapers that showcase advances in modern engineering and architecture worldwide. These structures rise above metropolises and reshape city horizons, from the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab in Dubai to the CCTV headquarters in Beijing with its two linked towers. Each building reflects a unique architectural approach and technical innovations tailored to its environment. The selection spans all continents and features buildings with various functions. The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, 452 meters high and connected by a sky bridge, stand alongside New York’s One World Trade Center, which reaches 541 meters. The Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg is notable for its twisted glass facade, while the Torre Costanera in Santiago offers panoramic views of the Andes. Whether residential buildings like the Eureka Tower in Melbourne or commercial structures such as the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, these constructions demonstrate how contemporary architecture shapes 21st-century cities.
The world of skyscrapers reflects the technical and architectural developments of recent decades. From New York to Dubai and Shanghai, buildings have risen that now define their cities' skylines while combining different construction traditions and innovations. This collection includes towers across multiple continents, among them the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which at 2,717 feet (828 meters) stands as the world's tallest completed structure, and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which served for years as a reference point for modern Asian design. The buildings listed serve various functions: office complexes such as One World Trade Center in New York or Shanghai Tower combine workspaces with observation decks, while the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower in Mecca blends religious and commercial uses. In Europe, The Shard in London, Tour Montparnasse in Paris, and Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt represent examples of high-rise buildings in historically developed cities. Other structures like Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg or Gran Torre Santiago in Chile demonstrate that this building form has expanded well beyond traditional centers. Visiting these towers offers more than views from considerable heights. Many feature public areas, restaurants, or exhibitions that provide insight into urban development and the technical requirements of such projects. The towers exist in different urban contexts and show how architecture adapts to local conditions.
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