Prudential Tower

The Prudential Tower is an International Style skyscraper designed by The Luckman Partnership, and built between 1960 and 1964 in Boston, MA.

Prudential Tower is not the only name you might know this building by though. It is common for companies to want to attach their names to iconic buildings when they move in, or for the general public to come up with nicknames, and this one is no exception. The Prudential Tower is also known, or has been known as, Prudential Building, or The Pru.

Its precise street address is 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA. You can also find it on the map here.

The Prudential Tower is part of the Prudential complex, which also includes several smaller buldings.

The Luckman Partnership was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design. But there was also one other architect involved, as far as we know. We are talking about Hoyle, Doran and Berry Architects.

That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the Prudential Tower a reality:

• Perini Corporation as the Main Contractor
• Otis as the company in charge of the elevators system
• Boston Properties as the Main Developer

The Prudential Tower can be categorized as an International Style building.

The Prudential Tower was completed in 1964. By 1964 the International Style movement had already left its early days behind and could be considered a mature movement, which does not mean it was loved and accepted by everyone, on the contrary. The International Style was accepted by the architecture community way before it was by the general public, and it is therefore likely that the Prudential Tower was not well received by everyone at the time.

The Prudential Tower uses a frame structure made of steel columns and reinforced concrete slabs.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

The facade uses a non-load bearing curtain wall system. This means the curtain wall modules are anchored to the building's structural frame, typically by being attached to the edge of the floor slabs. The curtain wall system connects to the slabs using brackets, anchors, and mullions, which transfer the loads imposed by wind and temperature changes, to the building's primary structural elements.

This setup allows the curtain wall to accommodate differential movement between the facade and the structural frame, such as thermal expansion, floor deflection, or sway from wind forces. This system's integration with the slab edges also allows for continuous insulation and weatherproofing layers.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features an intricate curtain wall that alternates transparent glass panes with opaque panes. The curtain wall is divided into very narrow vertical strips divided in a way that resembles a masonry pattern, but running vertically instead of horizontally.