[mhays]

I asked someone in our (general contractor) estimating department, who happens to be a 25-year architect. He gave me figures of $90 for curtain wall and $75 for a typical punched window system for a high-rise, obviously ballparked and dependent on many other factors. Locally, panelized brick would be a significant additional cost due to the lack of a big commercial supplier. The punched window system has the disadvantage of being a foot thick in some cases, meaning reduced interior square footage.

So yes, curtain wall is apparently chosen due to preference, not cost. On the other hand, this same architect, who personally tends toward modernity, honesty of materials, and so on, brought up the same point I have, which is that homes are a clearer indication of what people like than offices.

He also told me something about Seagram's own dishonesty/fakery. Apparently Seagram's structure is steel encased in concrete, and the exterior steel facade is pasted on (like shutters on a suburban rambler). Is this true?