This may seem a bit morbid, but having lived near Chicago for a good portion of my life, I’m extremely curious. Would the same thing happen to the Sears Tower that happened to the WTC? How differently are they constructed? What about the John Hancock building? Sorry if this seems out of line…
I seem to recall reading that Sears is built like 9 tubes bundled together. The tubes that were struck might collapse; the others might remain standing, but of course would be terribly damaged.
Hancock I have no idea.
Amaco (actually taller than Big John) is granite-plated. Not sure how that would affect things.
Our local TV channel said that the Amoco Oil building (Formerly the Standard Oil Building and NOW the AON BUILDING) was the only really tall skyscraper built similar to the WTC.
However remember the AON Buiding (to use its now correct name) was NEVER opened to the public. There is NO observation deck. Amoco being an oil company took extreme measure to protect itself from terrorists. I know one of the heads of security (now retired) and she told me all about how secure the building was inside.
Now I know that don’t help much in a case like this but who knows what they have up there?
I did hear near the 80th floor (The Aon building is taller than the Hancock but for some reason has less stories) there is a whole floor of lounges used by the Amoco executives.
The size/level difference might have something to do with the ceiling heights. Hancock is partly residential, which may mean lower ceilings than the commercial spaces in the Hancock and the Aon building.
My train station is under/next to the Aon building, underground. Waiting 20 minutes for the train to pull out Tuesday morning was a little nerve-wracking, thinking about all that suddenly vulnerable skyscraper sitting right above us.
My feeling is that in a jetliner vs. building situation the likely outcome will be the building standing for a short while, then a strong possibility of collapse. It’s more a matter of how long you’ll have to evacuate before things get worse. It is not, after all, just the impact but also the high temperature of the burning jet fuel that weakens the supporting structures. I’m not sure it’s possible to design a skyscraper that can withstand that sort of treatment for long, so if your skyscraper ever does get hit I’d say run like hell for the stairway and do your best to get out.
Just for the record - the Empire State Building has survived impact by a WWII bomber. I don’t remember the details, but it may have been a less massive aircraft than a 757 and may have been using aviation gasoline rather than jet fuel. Bad enough.
A B-25 (maximum loaded weight 35,000 lbs.) that was nearly at its destination (and, thus, not full of fuel) struck the Empire State building.
In contrast, the 767 has an empty weight of 180,000 lbs. and the 757 has an empty weight of 130,000 lbs. and the planes used were carrying a lot of fuel.
I remember passing by that thing during my frequent trips to Marshall Fields, and thinking that it was a bit creepy looking. I wonder what they DO have up there?