731 Lexington Avenue Building vs Bank of America Corporate Center

Comparing the 731 Lexington Avenue Building and the Bank of America Corporate Center is compelling because they were both designed by César Pelli & Associates, yet they stand in different cities (New York, NY and Charlotte, NC), 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 Bank of America Corporate Center is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 869ft (265m) with 60 floors above ground, while the 731 Lexington Avenue Building reaches 814ft (248m) with 54 floors above ground.

Bank of America Corporate Center also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 1,675,003 sqf (155,613m²), which is about 275,696 sqf (25,613m²) more than what the 731 Lexington Avenue Building offers.

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 731 Lexington Avenue Building was designed in the Contemporary style, while the Bank of America Corporate Center reflects the principles of Postmodernism.

The Bank of America Corporate Center represents a late expression of the Postmodernism, a style already in decline in 1992 when it was completed. By contrast, the 731 Lexington Avenue Building followed the then mainstream Contemporary, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

The 731 Lexington Avenue Building follows a mixed-use model, combining residential, retail and commercial. In contrast, the Bank of America Corporate Center has remained primarily commercial.

The 731 Lexington Avenue Building offers 105 residential units.

The Bank of America Corporate Center also provides 1200 parking spaces.

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

The 731 Lexington Avenue Building uses a Frame structural system, which relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight, while the Bank of America Corporate Center uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, that combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns.

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.