Burj Khalifa with Smith's attempts to make the crown more slender. The building opened on 4 January 2010. The tower was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), which also designed the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago and the One World Trade Center in New York City. Burj Khalifa uses the bundled tube design of the Willis Tower, invented by Fazlur Rahman Khan. Due to its tubular system, proportionally only half the amount of steel was used in the construction, compared to the Empire State Building. Khan's contributions to the design of tall buildings have had a profound impact
Southwest Tower Building of Texas phone center to Sears Vinyl Siding. When it opened in 1972 it was considered the leading business tower in the city. (Austin American-Statesman November 18, 1972) The Southwest Tower Building was the site of a fire on Sunday, March 6, 2011. No cause has been given for the fire. Southwest Tower Building The Southwest Tower Building is a 12-storey, building at 211 East 7th St. in Downtown Austin, Texas and is located across the street from the historic Driskill Hotel and the modern Omni Hotel. On the edge of the E. 6th Street entertainment district and Congress Avenue,