{"id":4861,"date":"2026-02-17T15:30:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/?p=4861"},"modified":"2026-02-20T08:40:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T08:40:01","slug":"images-show-construction-of-som-skyscraper-on-infamous-spire-site-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/images-show-construction-of-som-skyscraper-on-infamous-spire-site-in-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"Images show construction of SOM skyscraper on infamous Spire site in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"400<\/div>\n

American architecture studio SOM<\/a> has revealed construction images of a skyscraper<\/a> at 400 Lake Shore, the site of the cancelled Chicago Spire skyscraper.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 400 Lake Shore skyscraper by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM<\/a>) is set to reach 841 feet (256 metres) by its completion in 2027, and photos taken late last year show the skyscraper nearly halfway complete.<\/p>\n

With part of its glass facade and aluminium pilasters installed, the skyscraper is rectangular in form, with its long side running parallel to the Chicago River. It sits on a small outcropping of the city between the river and a slip.<\/p>\n

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Photos show construction progress on one of SOM’s 400 Lake Shore skyscrapers in Chicago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Construction on this site has faced challenges for almost two decades, after initial plans to construct a 2,000-foot-tall skyscraper called The Spire, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava \u2013 first proposed in 2007.<\/a><\/p>\n

After the 2008 financial crash, the project stalled, leaving a literal and metaphorical sore in the city, the infamous Spire Hole, a 75-foot (22 metres) deep hole meant to be the foundations for the original skyscraper.<\/p>\n

SOM’s former chairman, David Childs, who died last year, and developer Related proposed a scheme in 2018 that included two nearly identical skyscrapers<\/a>. The city pushed back on the design, which was eventually redesigned by Childs in 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Millions of gallons of water pumped out<\/strong><\/p>\n

SOM chose to work directly with the preexisting foundations, but, given the different design and reduced height of the 2018 scheme<\/a>, the foundations had to be changed.<\/p>\n

“During design, rather than remove that infrastructure, the team evaluated how to work with it, and re-use the existing foundations to the largest extent possible,” SOM told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“A structural mat slab was introduced over the existing deep foundations, allowing flexibility in positioning new shear walls and primary load-bearing elements.”<\/p>\n

“By strategically aligning as much of the tower’s heavy structure as possible with the original support points, the project was able to capitalize that investment and reuse a significant portion of the existing foundation.”<\/p>\n