We here at the METALCON office continue to be up to our heads in snow, that’s right about 90+ inches of snow have fallen here in the Boston area. Today, we have a sinister cold that is registering about -24 with the windchill. Life does go on and so does this episode of Magnificent Metal Mondays. Today we travel to Chicago, and specifically we stop by the Inland Steel Building. It was one of the most innovative structures of its time being built in 1957. The Inland Steel Building is the first building of its kind to be erected on steel puling.
It also has the dubious honor of being the first building to have built-in air conditioning. The entire building also has its entire weight supported by 7 external columns, this is known as the principle of clear-span construction.
The Inland Steel Building continues to be one of the best examples of a style in architecture that followed the “form follows function” standard.