250 Vesey Street Building vs 731 Lexington Avenue Building

Comparing the 250 Vesey Street Building and the 731 Lexington Avenue Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in New York, NY, and were both designed by César Pelli & Associates. However, they were completed more than 19 years apart.

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

The 731 Lexington Avenue Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 814ft (248m) with 54 floors above ground, while the 250 Vesey Street Building reaches 499ft (152m) with 34 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, 731 Lexington Avenue Building has less total built-up area than 250 Vesey Street Building.

By contrast, the 731 Lexington Avenue Building sits on a site with a lower floor area ratio.

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 250 Vesey Street Building was designed in the Postmodernism style, while the 731 Lexington Avenue Building reflects the principles of Contemporary.

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.

The 731 Lexington Avenue Building follows a mixed-use model, combining residential, retail and commercial. In contrast, the 250 Vesey Street Building has remained primarily commercial.

The 731 Lexington Avenue Building offers 105 residential units.

Both the 250 Vesey Street Building and the 731 Lexington Avenue Building rely on a Frame structural 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.

They also employ the same type of facade, 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.