731 Lexington Avenue Building vs 111 West 57th Street

731 Lexington Avenue Building
111 West 57th Street

Comparing the 731 Lexington Avenue Building and the 111 West 57th Street is interesting because they both rise in New York, NY, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, César Pelli & Associates and SHoP 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 New York across time.

Let's take a closer look!

Height
248m
Floors
54

Height & Size

Height
435m
Floors
84

The 111 West 57th Street is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1427ft (435m) with 84 floors above ground, while the 731 Lexington Avenue Building reaches 814ft (248m) with 54 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.

Style
Contemporary

Architectural Style

Style
Contemporary

Both the 731 Lexington Avenue Building and the 111 West 57th Street were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Contemporary style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both César Pelli & Associates and SHoP Architects followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Main use
Mixed

Uses

Main use
Residential

The 731 Lexington Avenue Building follows a mixed-use model, combining residential, retail and commercial. In contrast, the 111 West 57th Street has remained primarily residential.

In terms of capacity, the 731 Lexington Avenue Building offers 105 apartments, while the 111 West 57th Street provides 60 units.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Both the 731 Lexington Avenue Building and the 111 West 57th Street 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 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.

731 Lexington Avenue Building 111 West 57th Street
César Pelli & Associates Architect SHoP Architects
1998 Design Started 2012
2001 Design Ended 2015
2001 Construction Started 2015
2005 Year Completed 2022
Contemporary Architectural Style Contemporary
Mixed Current Use Residential
54 Floors Above Ground 84
3 Floors Below Ground 2
237 Last Floor Height 346
248 m Height (m) 435 m
287 Tip Height 435
29 Number of Elevators 14
105 Residential Units 60
Frame Structure Type Frame
Steel And Concrete Vertical Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Poured Concrete Over Metal Decking Horizontal Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
No Facade Structural? Yes
Glass, Steel Main Facade Material Glass, Terracota, Broze
Bovis Lend Lease Ltd. Main Contractor JDS Construction Group
Vornado Realty Trust Developer JDS Development Group
Flack + Kurz MEP Engineer Jaros Baum & Bolles
Thornton Tomasetti Structural Engineer WSP
Larson Engineering Facade Consultant Buro Happold
Jacques Grange Interior Designer Studio Sofield
NY State NY
New York City New York
731 Lexington Avenue Address 111 West 57th Street