Equitable Life Building vs AT&T Center

Comparing the Equitable Life Building and the AT&T Center is interesting because they both stand in Los Angeles, CA, and were completed within 4 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.

Both the Equitable Life Building and the AT&T Center were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

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

Both the Equitable Life Building and the AT&T Center were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

Both the Equitable Life Building and the AT&T Center 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.