The History and Architecture of the Willis Tower in Chicago

The World’s Tallest Tower in the 80’s is Still Very Stunning

The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower was constructed in Chicago, Illinois. In 1973 when the building was completed, it was the tallest building in the world. It stayed this way from 1973 until 1998. The building took the title from the World Trade Center in New York and had it taken from by the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia.

The building uses the bundled tube structure design. This is a very efficient design structually and economically. It has been used in other buildings, such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. During the construction of the Willis Tower there were many concerns about television reception being ruined for the suburbs of Chicago by the height of the building. To this day, the Willis Tower’s Skydeck is visited by over one million people every year. If you know anyone from Chicago, they will not call the Willis Tower by its official name because the name the Sears Tower is very iconic to Chicago.