I am a huge Santiago Calatrava fan. I read with interest about his inspiration for The Chicago Spire:

Like the seashells that Calatrava carries with him on his travels, The Chicago Spire is a breathtakingly simple expression of complex ideas. In the dynamic, soaring tower lies the fundamental repetition of nature, a sculptural triumph of mathematics and art. As a practitioner of both, Santiago Calatrava, like many inquisitors before him, has been influenced by the significant discoveries of a FLorentine mathematician some 800 years ago:

Umm really? A SEASHELL? For REALS? Maybe a faux “seashell” in a shop in P-town. How in the world did this building fly beneath my radar? I opened up the current issue of Wallpaper*, saw an ad (you too can live in a giant phallus for $800K-$40 million) and just started laughing. The Chicago Spire: Inspired by a Sea Urchin. COME ON!

The ad quotes Time Magazine as saying “Calatrava accomplishes what only great architects can: He creates transcendent spaces that uplift the human spirit.” “Uplift” – did the critic really type that without cracking up? I know I’m stating the basest potty humor kinds of comments here, but SERIOUSLY? Chicago, by far, contains the best architecture in the United States. Does it really need a sparkling, ribbed dildo towering over all of it?

By the way, this will be the tallest building int he states, and the 3rd-largest in the world. There is a very cool intro video here, though I think perhaps the music that goes with it should be changed to “It’s Raining Men” or “YMCA.”

quotes and photos from thechicagospire.com