28 Liberty Street Building vs Trump International Hotel and Tower

28 Liberty Street Building
Trump International Hotel and Tower

Comparing the 28 Liberty Street Building and the Trump International Hotel and Tower is compelling because they were both designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, yet they stand in different cities (New York, NY and Chicago, IL), and were completed over two decades apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places in different periods of time.

Height
248m
Floors
60

Height & Size

Height
360m
Floors
92

The Trump International Hotel and Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1181ft (360m) with 92 floors above ground, while the 28 Liberty Street Building reaches 814ft (248m) with 60 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, Trump International Hotel and Tower has less total built-up area than 28 Liberty Street Building.

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 Trump International Hotel and Tower 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 48 years apart (1961 vs 2009), 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
Mixed

The Trump International Hotel and Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel, residential and commercial. In contrast, the 28 Liberty Street Building has remained primarily commercial.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower incorporates a 5-star hotel with 339 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower offers 486 residential units.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower also provides 960 parking spaces.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Both the 28 Liberty Street Building and the Trump International Hotel and Tower 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 Trump International Hotel and Tower
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
1955 Design Started 2000
1957 Construction Started 2005
1961 Year Completed 2009
International Style Architectural Style Contemporary
Commercial Current Use Mixed
60 Floors Above Ground 92
5 Floors Below Ground 5
248 m Height (m) 360 m
208103 Built-up Area (m²) 241.548
37 Number of Elevators 27
Frame Structure Type Frame
Concrete And Steel Vertical Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Yes Facade Structural? No
Aluminum, Glass Main Facade Material Glass And Stainless Steel Panels
Turner Construction Company Main Contractor Bovis Lend Lease
Chase Manhattan Bank N.A. Developer Donald Trump
Dan Kiley Landscape Landscape Architect McGinley Desing
Otis Elevator Company Elevator Company KONE
Jaros Baum & Bolles MEP Engineer WMA Consulting Engineers Ltd
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, And Weiskopf & Pickworth LLP Structural Engineer William F. Baker
NY State IL
New York City Chicago
28 Liberty Street Address 401 N. Wabash Ave.