111 South Wacker Building vs BMO Tower

Comparing the 111 South Wacker Building and the BMO Tower is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Lohan Caprille Goettsch Architects and Goettsch Partners , and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than a decade apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of Chicago across time.

Let's take a closer look!

Both the 111 South Wacker Building and the BMO Tower were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Contemporary style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Lohan Caprille Goettsch Architects and Goettsch Partners followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Both the 111 South Wacker Building and the BMO Tower were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with 111 South Wacker Building offering 389 spaces and the BMO Tower offering 324.

The two towers rely on different structural systems, reflecting distinct engineering strategies.

The 111 South Wacker Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube structural system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the BMO Tower uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

Yet, when it comes to their facade, they both employed the same solution, a Curtain Wall facade.

A curtain wall is a non-load-bearing facade hung from the structural frame. It is anchored to floor slabs and transfers only its own weight and wind loads, allowing for sleek, glassy exteriors.