345 California Center vs 575 Market Street Tower at Market Center

Comparing the 345 California Center and the 575 Market Street Tower at Market Center is interesting because they both rise in San Francisco, CA, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Hertzka & Knowles, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than a decade apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of San Francisco across time.

Let's take a closer look!

The 345 California Center is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 620ft (189m) with 48 floors above ground, while the 575 Market Street Tower at Market Center reaches 574ft (175m) with 40 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.

Both the 345 California Center and the 575 Market Street Tower at Market Center were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Hertzka & Knowles followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The 345 California Center follows a mixed-use model, combining commercial and hotel. In contrast, the 575 Market Street Tower at Market Center has remained primarily commercial.

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

The 345 California Center also provides 180 parking spaces.

Both the 345 California Center and the 575 Market Street Tower at Market Center 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 Window Wall facade.

A window wall system is installed between floor slabs. It is simpler and faster to build than curtain walls, but exposes slab edges and requires careful detailing to avoid thermal bridges.