1201 Third Avenue Tower vs 712 Fifth Avenue Building

Comparing the 1201 Third Avenue Tower and the 712 Fifth Avenue Building is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Seattle, WA and New York, NY), both were designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and finished within within 2 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 1201 Third Avenue Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 771ft (235m) with 55 floors above ground, while the 712 Fifth Avenue Building reaches 650ft (198m) with 52 floors above ground.

1201 Third Avenue Tower also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 1,114,839 sqf (103,572m²), which is about 571,628 sqf (53,106m²) more than what the 712 Fifth Avenue Building offers.

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.

Both the 1201 Third Avenue Tower and the 712 Fifth Avenue Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

Both the 1201 Third Avenue Tower and the 712 Fifth Avenue Building 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 Third Avenue Tower also provides 810 parking spaces.

Both towers share the same structural solution, a Frame system.

A frame structure uses a grid of columns and beams to carry the building's loads. This frees the walls from structural duties, allowing for flexible floor plans and larger windows.

However, when it comes to the facade, both buildings use different approaches. The 1201 Third Avenue Tower uses a Curtain Wall facade, while the 712 Fifth Avenue Building uses a Masonry facade.

A Curtain Wall facade like the one seen in the 1201 Third Avenue Tower uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while a masonry facade like the one seen in the 712 Fifth Avenue Building features a heavy masonry skin that gives it a more clasical look.