345 California Center vs Random House Tower

Comparing the 345 California Center and the Random House Tower is compelling because they were both designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, yet they stand in different cities (San Francisco, CA and New York, NY), and were completed a decade apart.

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

The Random House Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 682ft (208m) with 52 floors above ground, while the 345 California Center reaches 620ft (189m) with 48 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 345 California Center was designed in the Postmodernism style, while the Random House 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.

Both towers follow a mixed-use program. The 345 California Center combines commercial and hotel, while the Random House Tower integrates commercial and residential. Notably, both include commercial as part of their program.

The 345 California Center incorporates a 5-star hotel with 155 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The Random House Tower offers 101 residential units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with 345 California Center offering 180 spaces and the Random House Tower offering 150.

Both towers share the same structural solution, a Frame 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.

However, when it comes to the facade, both buildings use different approaches. The 345 California Center uses a Window Wall facade, while the Random House Tower uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Window Wall facade like the one seen in the 345 California Center uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the Random House Tower uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.