28 Liberty Street Building vs 7 World Trade Center

28 Liberty Street Building
7 World Trade Center

Comparing the 28 Liberty Street Building and the 7 World Trade Center 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 45 years apart.

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

Height
248m
Floors
60

Height & Size

Height
226m
Floors
51

The 28 Liberty Street Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 814ft (248m) with 60 floors above ground, while the 7 World Trade Center reaches 741ft (226m) with 51 floors above ground.

28 Liberty Street Building also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 2,240,000 sqf (208,103m2), which is about 558,883 sqf (51,922m2) more than what the 7 World Trade Center offers.

By contrast, the 28 Liberty Street 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.

Style
International Style

Architectural Style

Style
Contemporary

The 28 Liberty Street Building was designed in the International Style style, while the 7 World Trade Center 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.

Built 45 years apart (1961 vs 2006), these two buildings are a perfect example of how different architectural styles have shaped the architectural landscape of our cities over time.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Commercial

Both the 28 Liberty Street Building and the 7 World Trade Center were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Both the 28 Liberty Street Building and the 7 World Trade Center 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.

28 Liberty Street Building 7 World Trade Center
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
1957 Design Ended 2002
1957 Construction Started 2002
1961 Year Completed 2006
International Style Architectural Style Contemporary
Commercial Current Use Commercial
60 Floors Above Ground 51
5 Floors Below Ground 1
248 m Height (m) 226 m
208103 Built-up Area (m²) 156181
37 Number of Elevators 29
Frame Structure Type Frame
Concrete And Steel Vertical Structure Material Steel
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Poured Concrete Over Metal Decking
Yes Facade Structural? No
Aluminum, Glass Main Facade Material Glass
Turner Construction Company Main Contractor Tishman Construction
Chase Manhattan Bank N.A. Developer Silverstein Properties
Otis Elevator Company Elevator Company OTIS Elevators
Jaros Baum & Bolles MEP Engineer Jaros Baum & Bolles
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, And Weiskopf & Pickworth LLP Structural Engineer WSP Cantor Seinuk
Isamu Noguchi, And Jean Dubuffet Collaborating Artist Jenny Holzer
NY State NY
New York City New York
28 Liberty Street Address 250 Greenwich Street