1201 North Market Street Building vs Gas Company Tower

Comparing the 1201 North Market Street Building and the Gas Company Tower is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Wilmington, DE and Los Angeles, CA), both were designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and finished within within 3 years of each other. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

The Gas Company Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 748ft (228m) with 52 floors above ground, while the 1201 North Market Street Building reaches 361ft (110m) with 23 floors above ground.

Of course, each project may have faced different briefs or regulatory constraints, which we don't really know about and could also explain the outcome.

The 1201 North Market Street Building was designed in the Modern style, while the Gas Company Tower reflects the principles of Postmodernism.

Both towers were built when their respective styles were already past their prime. This makes them feel more like late continuations rather than groundbreaking statements, showing how architectural traditions can linger even as tastes shift.

Both the 1201 North Market Street Building and the Gas Company 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.

The 1201 North Market Street Building also provides 475 parking spaces.

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

The 1201 North Market Street Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube structural system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Gas Company 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.