32 Old Slip Building vs General Motors Building

Comparing the 32 Old Slip Building and the General Motors Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in New York, NY, and were both designed by Edward Durell Stone & 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 General Motors Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 705ft (215m) with 50 floors above ground, while the 32 Old Slip Building reaches 574ft (175m) with 36 floors above ground.

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 32 Old Slip Building was designed in the Postmodernism style, while the General Motors Building reflects the principles of International Style.

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.

Both the 32 Old Slip Building and the General Motors Building were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with 32 Old Slip Building offering 104 spaces and the General Motors Building offering 136.

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

The 32 Old Slip Building uses a Trussed Frame structural system, which uses diagonal bracing in addition to beams and columns for stability, while the General Motors Building uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

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.