Uploaded September 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The wind that blows off Lake Michigan makes designing for wind a common challenge among Chicago's architects and engineers. The evolution of building frames that distributed a building’s load in new ways allowed architects to continue to build taller. This evolution advanced further in the 1970s when structural engineer Fazlur Kahn from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill developed the bundled tube system, allowing the Willis Tower to be built to a soaring 110 stories high. Visit architecture.org/buildings to learn more about Chicago’s most iconic buildings and discover how Chicago’s rich architectural legacy was built.
The wind that blows off Lake Michigan makes designing for wind a common challenge among Chicago's architects and engineers. The evolution of building frames that distributed a building’s load in new ways allowed architects to continue to build taller. This evolution advanced further in the 1970s when structural engineer Fazlur Kahn from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill developed the bundled tube system, allowing the Willis Tower to be built to a soaring 110 stories high. Visit architecture.org/buildings to learn more about Chicago’s most iconic buildings and discover how Chicago’s rich architectural legacy was built.
