Americas Tower vs 225 Liberty Street Building


Comparing the Americas Tower and the 225 Liberty Street Building is interesting because they both stand in New York, NY, and were completed within 5 years of each other, but they were designed by different architects.
This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.
Height & Size
The Americas Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 692ft (211m) with 48 floors above ground, while the 225 Liberty Street Building reaches 646ft (197m) with 44 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.
Architectural Style
Both the Americas Tower and the 225 Liberty Street Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.
The Americas Tower 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 225 Liberty Street Building style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 225 Liberty Street Building was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.
Uses
Both the Americas Tower and the 225 Liberty Street 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 225 Liberty Street Building also provides 800 parking spaces.
Structure & Facade
Both the Americas Tower and the 225 Liberty Street Building 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.
Americas Tower | 225 Liberty Street Building | |
---|---|---|
Swanke Hayden Connell Architects | Architect | Cesar Pelli & Associates |
1989 | Construction Started | 1985 |
1992 | Year Completed | 1987 |
Postmodernism | Architectural Style | Postmodernism |
Commercial | Current Use | Commercial |
48 | Floors Above Ground | 44 |
211 m | Height (m) | 197 m |
86,771 m² | Usable Area (m²) | 231,421 m² |
Frame | Structure Type | Frame |
Steel | Vertical Structure Material | Steel |
Concrete And Steel | Horizontal Structure Material | Concrete And Steel |
No | Facade Structural? | No |
Granite, Glass | Main Facade Material | Granite, Glass, Aluminium |
Americas Tower Partners | Developer | Brookfield Properties |
Thornton Tomasetti | Structural Engineer | Thornton Tomasetti |
NY | State | NY |
New York | City | New York |
1177 6th Avenue | Address | 225 Liberty Street |