71 South Wacker Building vs Four Seasons Hotel New York

Comparing the 71 South Wacker Building and the Four Seasons Hotel New York is compelling because they were both designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, yet they stand in different cities (Chicago, IL 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 Four Seasons Hotel New York 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 71 South Wacker Building reaches 679ft (207.1m) with 48 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, Four Seasons Hotel New York has less total built-up area than 71 South Wacker 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 71 South Wacker Building was designed in the Contemporary style, while the Four Seasons Hotel New York reflects the principles of Postmodernism.

The Four Seasons Hotel New York represents a late expression of the Postmodernism, a style already in decline in 1993 when it was completed. By contrast, the 71 South Wacker Building followed the then mainstream Contemporary, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

The 71 South Wacker Building is primarily commercial, while the Four Seasons Hotel New York is primarily hotel.

The Four Seasons Hotel New York incorporates a 5-star hotel with 368 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The 71 South Wacker Building also provides 163 parking spaces.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The 71 South Wacker Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Four Seasons Hotel New York uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

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 Four Seasons Hotel New York opted for a Masonry facade, that features a heavy masonry skin that gives it a more clasical look.