Trump’s prime-time endorsement of concrete building attributes endures

Source: CP staff

President-elect Donald Trump exhibited a seasoned appreciation for concrete long before his White House quest. During an October 2001 exchange with ABC 20/20 host Barbara Walters, the then-celebrity developer assessed post-September 11 construction methods in New York City, its skyline absent the Twin Towers.

Trump: “You can build a great building a lot tougher than the World Trade Center turned out to be.”

Walters: “[With] Different materials?”

Trump: “Different material. More concrete. Concrete doesn’t burn to the same extent, obviously, as steel.”

As officials looked to the future of lower Manhattan following the September 11 terrorist attacks and World Trade Center destruction, Trump brought sound perspective on high-rise building methods. Through two Manhattan projects, Trump Palace (620 ft., 1991) and Trump World Tower (846 ft., 2001), he had helped usher high strength (≥ 10,000 psi) concrete into Big Apple practice.

Five years later, he was among parties approving specifications for what would become the country’s tallest reinforced concrete building: Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago. Along with its 1,134-ft. height, the project is noted for extensive use of self-consolidating mixes in mat foundation sections, columns and massive horizontal members of 10,000–16,000 psi design strength concrete.