555 California Street Building vs Trump International Hotel and Tower

Comparing the 555 California 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 (San Francisco, CA 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.

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 555 California Street Building reaches 778ft (237m) with 52 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, Trump International Hotel and Tower has less total built-up area than 555 California 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.

The 555 California Street Building was designed in the Postmodernism style, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower reflects the principles of Contemporary.

The 555 California Street Building was completed when the Postmodernism was still emerging, which gave it a pioneering character. The Trump International Hotel and Tower, on the other hand, followed the more established Contemporary, reflecting the prevailing conventions of its day.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel, residential and commercial. In contrast, the 555 California 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.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with 555 California Street Building offering 450 spaces and the Trump International Hotel and Tower offering 960.

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

The 555 California Street Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube structural system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower 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.