Aon Center vs 30 North LaSalle

Comparing the Aon Center and the 30 North LaSalle is interesting because they both stand in Chicago, IL, and were completed within 2 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.

The Aon Center is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1135ft (346m) with 83 floors above ground, while the 30 North LaSalle reaches 554ft (169m) 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.

Both the Aon Center and the 30 North LaSalle were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

Both buildings were completed when the International Style style was already past its peak. This makes them feel like late echoes of the movement, more reflective of continuity or nostalgia than of cutting-edge design at the time.

Both the Aon Center and the 30 North LaSalle 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 Aon Center also provides 679 parking spaces.

These two towers illustrate the many possible ways to combine structure and enclosure in skyscraper design.