"You may get the bends if you go up or down too fast, " Pelli says.

FORBES: World's Tallest Towers

The base of the building, designed by Rafael Pelli, will be used by the school of medicine, and the top will be rental apartments and amenities.

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Pelli, for one, believes that they are going to come from human psychology and physiology--our willingness to ride elevators for extended periods and our ability to withstand pressure changes.

FORBES: World's Tallest Towers

The World Financial Center, a complex of four towers designed by Cesar Pelli, is situated across the street from the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center.

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Third, and most controversially, Mr von Clemm was among the earliest to spot the commercial potential of the redevelopment of the derelict docklands area of east London, where the skyline is now dominated by Canary Wharf, a building designed by Cesar Pelli which ranks among the tallest office blocks in Europe.

ECONOMIST: Michael von Clemm