155 Harbor Condominium vs Water Tower Place

Comparing the 155 Harbor Condominium and the Water Tower Place is interesting because they both stand in Chicago, IL, and were completed just one year apart, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

The Water Tower Place is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 860ft (262m) with 74 floors above ground, while the 155 Harbor Condominium reaches 551ft (168m) with 54 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.

Both the 155 Harbor Condominium and the Water Tower Place were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Modern style.

Both buildings were completed when the Modern style was already past its peak. This makes them feel like late echoes of the movement, more reflective of continuity or nostalgia than of cutting-edge design at the time.

The Water Tower Place follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel, residential and retail. In contrast, the 155 Harbor Condominium has remained primarily residential.

The Water Tower Place incorporates a 5-star hotel with 435 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

In terms of capacity, the 155 Harbor Condominium offers 742 apartments, while the Water Tower Place provides 360 units.

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 155 Harbor Condominium uses a Curtain Wall facade, while the Water Tower Place uses a Window Wall facade.

A Curtain Wall facade like the one seen in the 155 Harbor Condominium uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while a window-wall facade like the one seen in the Water Tower Place uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible.