Sanjay Shah isn’t the only person living in the clouds. Chicago is home to seven of the 12 tallest residential buildings in the United States, including two—Trump International Hotel & Tower and the John Hancock Center—that rise more than 1,000 feet. They’ll soon be joined by the proposed 88-floor Wanda Vista, designed by Jeanne Gang and expected to break ground in 2016. Why does Chicago have so many tall buildings? In part because it’s the birthplace of a lot of the architectural innovations—fireproofing, steel frames, elevator technologies—that make the high life possible. That, and a healthy, if unofficial, competition with New York.

1 432 Park Avenue New York City

(unoccupied)

Opening this fall

Height: 1,396 feet

Percent residential: 85%

Highest residential floor: 96 (of 96)

2 Trump International Hotel & Tower Opened: 2008

Height: 1,388 feet

Percent residential: 65%

Highest residential floor: 89 (of 92)

Trump’s spire counts in the height because it’s nonfunctional. The Hancock’s workhorse antennas don’t qualify. 1,400 feet 1,300 1,200 1,100 How can Shah’s 89th-floor penthouse sit above the Hancock’s 92nd-floor peak? Ceilings in most Trump units are 10 feet, versus Hancock’s 8.5. 1,000 900 800 700 600 Residents include the Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane, the Bulls’ Derrick Rose, and comedian Steve Harvey. 500 400 300 200 100

ILLUSTRATIONS: REMIE GEOFFROI

3 John Hancock Center Opened: 1969

Height: 1,128 feet

Percent residential: 47%

Highest residential floor: 92 (of 100)