Strata Tower

The Strata Tower is a Brutalist skyscraper designed by Pietro Belluschi, in association with Frankfurt-Short-Bruza Architects, and built in 1971 in Oklahoma City, OK.

Strata 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 building has changed names several times over the years, and is also known as:

• Kerr-McGee Tower between 1971 and 2006.
• SandRidge Tower between 2010 and 2022.
• Strata Tower at Oklahoma Commons from 2020 until this day.

Its precise street address is 123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK. You can also find it on the map here.

In 1999 the Strata Tower was awarded with the 25-Year Award of Excellence but the AIA.

The building underwent a major restoration in 2010. The architect commissioned to undertake this restoration was Rogers Marvel Architects.

Pietro Belluschi was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design, in association with Frankfurt-Short-Bruza Architects.

The Strata Tower can be categorized as a Brutalist building.

The Strata Tower uses a frame structure made of reinforced concrete columns and beams.

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 window wall system, which by itself is non-load-bearing. However, in this case, the facade is technically load-bearing, since there are structural elements that have been integrated into it, adirectly influencing the facade’s design.

Window walls are easier to install than curtain walls, often resulting in reduced construction time and cost. However, the exposed edge of the slabs, and in this case other structura elements too, are weak points in terms of thermal insulation. These areas need to be carefully detailed to prevent thermal bridging and potential condensation issues.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features an exposed concrete finish with recessed, framed windows. The windows are organized in three clearly defined grid patterns. The first section of the building is divided in 24 bays, the second in 12, and the top section in 8 bats.

Before that, at the ground level, the volume is supported by large-scale structural columns, freeing the perimeter and allowing for a transparent enclosure through glass curtain walls, accompanied by a landscaped plaza that mediates the transition between the public space and the building’s entrance.