John Hancock Center 3D print model

875 North Michigan Avenue, best known as the John Hancock Center, is a 1128ft (344m) tall skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois (The two radio antennae, while not counted towards the building's official height, reach further to a total height of 1500ft (457m)). Designed by world-renowned Chicago-based architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) and engineer Fazlur Khan, the building was completed in 1969. It's unique tapering trapezoidal massing, characteristic steel X-bracing, stark black color, and towering height made it an instant icon of the city. Located near the Northern end of Michigan Avenue, the tower stands as a bookend to Chicago's mighty skyline. Upon it's completion, it was 2nd tallest building in the world, behind only New York City's Empire State Building. It was also the second building ever constructed to have 100 floors. Today, it is only the 5th tallest in the city, yet it remains one of the most recognizable and most cherished.

Because this building is very large and tall, there are multiple methods to print this model. There are 4 parts that must be glued together. Part 1 (HancockPart1.stl) encompasses the first 42 floors of the tower. Part 2 (HancockPart2.stl) contains the rest of the main tower to the roof. The antennae each have their own files (HancockEastAntenna.stl and HancockWestAntenna.stl). It is highly recommended they printed separately to ensure the final product is clean without any strings or burrs. The antennae may be difficult to print well even on their own. It is recommended to use the lowest possible heat.

There is a file that includes everything in one piece (HancockComplete.stl), however it is highly recommended to print each of the parts separately. Many slicing programs and 3D printers tend to perform poorly when printing two side-by-side thin objects like antennae or spires. In addition, printing the pieces separately allows for larger scale prints and printing the building and antennae using different color filaments. This model was designed to be printed at a scale of 1:1333 (Scaled down to 75% of its default size).