Calatrava Unveils Designs for Chicago Spire Interiors

Taking a page from Frank Lloyd Wright's book, architect Santiago Calatrava has created a '"total design" for his Chicago Spire, which will be the the world's tallest residential building upon completion. Unlike Wright, who could be downright dictatorial about what furniture would be placed in his houses (and where), Calatrava's interior designs are mere suggestions.

Tribune architectural critic Blair Kamin likes the four-bedroom design, but has qualms about the one-bedroom design, which he says lacks "well-designed adjacencies."  With studios starting at $750,000 and prices rising to $40 million for the duplex penthouse, a bigger problem for the Spire's developer may be one of the toughest real estate markets in decades. (More Chicago Spire stories.)