Chicago has long been known for its innovative architecture, the city’s downtown skyline boasts a collection of skyscrapers that is second to none. Now Chicago is getting the Clean technology Tower, a building whose design as architecture and its function as an energy-efficient building make for a natural comparison to the Masdar Headquarters Building in Abu Dhabi.

It’s about time developments like this started happening in the United States. We have the talent and resources, developers just need the desire to use them. And it’s certainly no coincidence that both buildings were designed by the same Chicago based architecture firm of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill. If you’re looking for the combination of creativity and energy efficiency and thinking of undertaking a large building project, give these guys a call.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that like the Masdar City project, the Clean Energy Tower just plain looks cool.

What could be the world’s most energy efficient large building, a 1.4 million square foot, has been designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill. The building’s unique design incorporates a solar energy roof that will actually provide energy during construction, plus the building will incorporate wind driven turnines and use about 70 percent less water than the average building its size. And to top it off, it looks extremely cool.

So where is this cutting-edge design being built? Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, San Francisco, New York? Nope, it’s in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

One thing that’s becoming more and more obvious is that when it comes to innovation and design, the United States is slowly but surely being left behind. There was a time when American corporations and governments invested in and created the standards that the rest of the world looked up to. Now our infrastructure is crumbling, corporations spend more money trying to influence political decisions than they do in investing in creative solutions to problems, and politicians spend their time trying to avoid doing anything at all. The result is that innovation and creativity have moved elsewhere, to Europe, Japan, Indonesia, and yes, the United Arab Emirates.

It’s not that we don’t have the skills or creative potential. The fact that the Masdar City building was designed by a Chicago firm shows that. But decades of failing to invest in such basics as infrastructure and research have left the United States in a position we’re not used to, looking on while the rest of the world builds all the cool stuff.