Quote:
Originally Posted by Swicago Swi Sox
It's not that simple...taller buildings require more of their floor plan to be eaten up by lateral system and elevators and mechanicals....reducing the usable/sellable/rentable floor plan. There are also very expensive foundation concerns when you get very very tall.
There is a reason why the 40 to 60 story apartment building is so ubiquitous in Chicago. It is the sweet spot for a cheap/less complicated lateral system, and caisson foundations that are pretty standard and easy in Chicago's relatively shallow clay layer, while still cramming in lots and lots of area.
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Question for you: is this the main determinant of Chicago's prevailing building heights (particularly for office towers) in comparison to NY's?
I had always assumed it was about economics rather than engineering, but I'm curious.
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