Today's skyscrapers typically lack texture, suggesting ultimate smoothness in glass and without significant relationship between interior and exterior. I  propose an approach that weaves in and out, sweeping foreground back into residential units, and placing texture all the way to the top of the building to intensify the diagram. the site is a portion of Chicago that currently lacks identity and community; that of Calatrava's failed Chicago Spire. 

In order to mitigate the extreme height of a 120 story building, a new ground is introduced in place of floors 40-55. This elevated public space is programmed as a viewing deck and leisure space for the public.

The green tile at the top half of the building represents the early 20th century. The office space that occupies the bottom 40 floors is clad in horizontal zinc panels that sharply contrast with the surfaces of the upper residential area. Destination retail inhabits the ground floor, where the tower receives sinuous lines of influence (including a new water taxi stop) that split the core of the building in tow, yeilding open space for the offices above