The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. SNOW: I'll keep my tongue unto myself on that one.Ĭopyright © 2009 NPR. SCHAPER: As for the nickname Big Willy, Snow says. SCHAPER: Reginald Snow(ph) of Chicago feels the same. And it's strange that it would be called anything else. SUZANNE DICOSTANZA: Yes it does, because Sears is really a Chicago institution, I feel like. SCHAPER: Mike Hudgen of suburban Des Plaines says he just won't call it Willis, while the name change kind of bothers Suzanne Dicostanza(ph) of Chicago. MIKE HUDGEN(ph): It's a - you know, it's always going to be the Sears Tower, you know. But for Chicagoans outside of the Willis Tower, the new name is hard to swallow. SCHAPER: Bringing new jobs downtown, says the mayor. You know why, because they stepped up to the plate. Mayor RICHARD DALEY (Chicago, Illinois): Big Willy, Willis, yeah, Tower, yes. SCHAPER: For his part, Mayor Daley doesn't mind changing the name of the Sears Tower for a British company. And I said on TV yesterday, call it the Big Willy for all I care. JOSEPH PLUMERI (President and CEO, Willis Groups): You know, you can call it anything you want. So, New Jersey born and bred Joe Plumeri, Willis Group's president and CEO, says he knows it might be hard for Chicagoans to call the Sears Tower they grew up with, the Willis tower. Cellular Field," preferring simply The Cell. And many White Sox fans still refuse to call the former Comiskey Park "U.S. They picketed outside the historic Marshall Fields Department Store on State Street when it became Macy's. Chicagoans haven't been too kind to other corporate renamings. Willis Group Holdings, a London based insurance company, bought the naming right as part of its lease in the giant office tower. NPR's David Schaper reports on the renaming of the tallest building in North America.ĭAVID SCHAPER: Chicago Mayor Richard Daley joined Willis Group corporate officials in pulling a black covering off the giant Willis Towers sign in the lobby of this iconic 110-story skyscraper. And it's already acquired a nickname: the Big Willy. Compared to the HVAC chaos in our old building, that has many of us walking on air.In Chicago, the tower formerly known as Sears is now known as Willis Tower, that officially begins today. Today, ESD employees work in comfort, thanks to the hybrid concept. (Unfortunately, Hem passed away before seeing it in action.) Our founder, Hem Gupta, and Andrew Lehrer created the hybrid concept. How did ESD come up with this concept? Before we even knew we would be moving into the Willis Tower, the owners of the building asked us how they could replace the induction units. Not only that, the Willis Tower is encouraging the installation of fan coils in other parts of the structure – including in the massive renovation of the lobby ESD is working on. The remote controller can be removed from remote controller holder, at the back of the tower. What are other benefits of this approach? Clients get more usable square footage, more furniture flexibility due to minimal equipment access required at the floor, and a slightly quieter workspace. PLEASE READ AND SAVE ALL INSTRUCTION BEFORE. Utilizing a mechanical fan-driven design to condition the perimeter proved to be a successful alternative to the induction units. They recirculate plenum air and discharge through linear diffusers. The fan coil units utilize the existing base building’s chilled/hot water. One World Trade is now the tallest building in the US, but its only 3.6 million square feet. The second tallest building in Chicago is Trump Tower at just under 100 shorter, but its only 2.6 million square feet. In their place a new knee wall was built, encompassing the existing supply duct to provide fresh air to the space – air which also helps wash the window, preventing condensation at the bottom of the glass. Consider this, the Sears Tower is 4.4 million square feet. The existing induction units were completely removed. As explained in ESD’s New Headquarters was Built and Designed to Be Adapted on the Fly, “Installing two fan coils with distributed ductwork and slot diffusers brought the main job of heating/cooling to the ceiling and helped push the air down across the length of the tower’s single-pane glass.” Rather than simply use those units, we decided on a hybrid approach in some spots we utilized them, while in others spots we depended on ceiling mounted fan coil units. Built in 1973, the Willis Tower features legacy induction units that jut out more than a foot from the walls of each floor. When you’re an engineering firm, sometimes it helps to be headquartered in a building where you’re working on projects for other tenants.Ĭase in point: HVAC work that we conducted for our move onto two floors of the Willis Tower is now being used to benefit clients on other floors of Chicago’s tallest skyscraper.
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