181 Fremont Building vs Salesforce Tower

181 Fremont Building
Salesforce Tower

Comparing the 181 Fremont Building and the Salesforce Tower is interesting because they both stand in San Francisco, CA, and were completed in the same year, 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.

Height
247m
Floors
56

Height & Size

Height
326m
Floors
61

The Salesforce Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1070ft (326m) with 61 floors above ground, while the 181 Fremont Building reaches 810ft (247m) with 56 floors above ground.

Salesforce Tower also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 1,399,996 sqf (130,064m2), which is about 716,488 sqf (66,564m2) more than what the 181 Fremont 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.

Style
Contemporary

Architectural Style

Style
Contemporary

Both the 181 Fremont Building and the Salesforce 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 Heller Manus Architects and Pelli Clark & Partners followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Commercial

Both the 181 Fremont Building and the Salesforce 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 181 Fremont Building offers 55 residential units.

Structure
Trussed Tube In Tube
Facade
Curtain Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Framed Tube In Tube
Facade
Curtain Wall

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

The 181 Fremont Building uses a Trussed Tube In Tube structural system, which combines a central core with a perimeter tube reinforced by diagonal bracing, while the Salesforce Tower uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, that combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns.

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.

181 Fremont Building Salesforce Tower
Heller Manus Architects Architect Pelli Clark & Partners
2008 Design Ended 2005
2013 Construction Started 2013
2018 Year Completed 2018
Contemporary Architectural Style Contemporary
Commercial Current Use Commercial
56 Floors Above Ground 61
5 Floors Below Ground 3
209 Last Floor Height 275
247 m Height (m) 326 m
63500 Built-up Area (m²) 130064
17 Number of Elevators 34
Trussed Tube In Tube Structure Type Framed Tube In Tube
Steel Vertical Structure Material Steel
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Yes Facade Structural? No
Glass Main Facade Material Glass, Metal
Level 10 Construction Main Contractor Clark Constrruction, And Hathaway Dinwiddie Joint Venture
Jay Paul Commpany Developer Boston Properties, Inc., And Hines Interests Limited Partnership
Thyssenkrypp Elevator Company Schindler
Arup Structural Engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Curtain Wall Design And Consulting, Inc. Facade Consultant Morrison Hershfield
CA State CA
San Francisco City San Francisco
181 Fremont Street Address 415 Mission Street