A twisting 115-storey glass and concrete tower that would be the United States' tallest building may soon grace Chicago's lakefront, its developer said.

Critics compared the proposed 610-metre Fordham Spire to a giant candle fit for a cake, while others said it was out of place in a post-September 11 world in which landmark skyscrapers could be terrorist targets.

The tower, which would house condominiums and a hotel, is the brainchild of Christopher Carley, chairman of Chicago-based Fordham Co. It was designed by award-winning Spanish-born architect Santiago Calatrava, who is known for his curvaceous bridges, as well as for designing the winged addition to Milwaukee's art museum and the transportation centre to be built on the site of New York's Ground Zero.

The slender tower will soar 444 metres to its roof and then add a spire to reach 610 metres, topping the 442-metre-tall Sears Tower, currently the nation's tallest, and New York's proposed 541-metre-tall Freedom Tower.

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