383 Madison Avenue Building vs 1540 Broadway Building

Comparing the 383 Madison Avenue Building and the 1540 Broadway Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in New York, NY, and were both designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. However, they were completed more than 11 years apart.

This offers a unique perspective on how the architect's style and the city's architecture evolved over time.

The 383 Madison Avenue Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 755ft (230m) with 47 floors above ground, while the 1540 Broadway Building reaches 617ft (188m) with 42 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 383 Madison Avenue Building was designed in the Contemporary style, while the 1540 Broadway Building reflects the principles of Postmodernism.

At the time of their completion, both styles were well established. This makes the comparison especially interesting, because both buildings represent a dominant aesthetic at a particular point in time.

Both the 383 Madison Avenue Building and the 1540 Broadway 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.

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 383 Madison Avenue Building uses a Modular facade, while the 1540 Broadway Building uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Modular facade like the one seen in the 383 Madison Avenue Building employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the 1540 Broadway Building uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.