60 State Street Building vs Two International Place Building

Comparing the 60 State Street Building and the Two International Place Building is interesting because they both rise in Boston, MA, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Johnson/Burgee Architects, 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 Boston across time.

Let's take a closer look!

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The Two International Place Building rises higher at 538ft (164m), while the 60 State Street Building reaches 509ft (155m). However, the 60 State Street Building accommodates more floors with 38 levels above ground, compared to 35 floors in the Two International Place Building.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The Two International Place Building has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 4.7m, while the 60 State Street Building has more compact floors averaging around 4.1m 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 60 State Street Building and the Two International Place Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

The Two International Place Building 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 60 State Street Building was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Both the 60 State Street Building and the Two International Place 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.

The 60 State Street Building also provides 240 parking spaces.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The 60 State Street Building uses a Frame system, which relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight, while the Two International Place Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, that combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns.

And when it came to the facade, the Curtain Wall went with a Curtain Wall facade, which uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while the Two International Place Building opted for a Modular facade, that employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.