28 Liberty Street Building vs Lever House

28 Liberty Street Building
Lever House

Comparing the 28 Liberty Street Building and the Lever House 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 9 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
93.57m
Floors
21

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 Lever House reaches 307ft (93.57m) with 21 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 1,977,055 sqf (183,675m2) more than what the Lever House offers.

The 28 Liberty Street Building also concentrates more floor area on its site, indicating a higher 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
International Style

Both the 28 Liberty Street Building and the Lever House were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So Skidmore, Owings & Merrill followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Commercial

Both the 28 Liberty Street Building and the Lever House 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 Lever House 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 Lever House
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
1957 Construction Started 1950
1961 Year Completed 1952
International Style Architectural Style International Style
Commercial Current Use Commercial
60 Floors Above Ground 21
5 Floors Below Ground 1
248 m Height (m) 93.57 m
208103 Built-up Area (m²) 24428.38
Frame Structure Type Frame
Concrete And Steel Vertical Structure Material Steel
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Yes Facade Structural? No
Aluminum, Glass Main Facade Material Glass, Aluminum, Steel
Turner Construction Company Main Contractor George A. Fuller Company
Jaros Baum & Bolles MEP Engineer Jaros, Baum & Bolles
NY State NY
New York City New York
28 Liberty Street Address 390 Park Ave