550 Madison Avenue vs Ally Detroit Center

Comparing the 550 Madison Avenue and the Ally Detroit Center is compelling because they were both designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects, yet they stand in different cities (New York, NY and Detroit, MI), and were completed more than 9 years apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places at roughly the same time (9 years isn't that much time when it comes to urban context and architecture).

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The 550 Madison Avenue rises higher at 646ft (197m), while the Ally Detroit Center reaches 607ft (185m). However, the Ally Detroit Center accommodates more floors with 43 levels above ground, compared to 37 floors in the 550 Madison Avenue.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The 550 Madison Avenue has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 5.3m, while the Ally Detroit Center has more compact floors averaging around 4.3m each. The taller building's more generous floor heights might indicate grander interior spaces, higher ceilings, or different programmatic requirements.

These different proportions likely reflect the specific needs each building was designed to serve, whether driven by zoning regulations, client requirements, or the intended use of the spaces within. The contrast shows how architects can achieve different spatial experiences even when working with similar overall building scales.

Both the 550 Madison Avenue and the Ally Detroit Center were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

The Ally Detroit Center was designed at a moment when the Postmodernism style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 550 Madison Avenue was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Both the 550 Madison Avenue and the Ally Detroit Center are primarily commercial towers, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with 550 Madison Avenue offering 20 spaces and the Ally Detroit Center offering 2070.

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 550 Madison Avenue uses a Modular facade, while the Ally Detroit Center uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Modular facade like the one seen in the 550 Madison Avenue employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the Ally Detroit Center uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.