777 Tower vs Bank of America Corporate Center

Comparing the 777 Tower and the Bank of America Corporate Center is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Los Angeles, CA and Charlotte, NC), both were designed by César Pelli & Associates and finished within just one year apart. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

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 777 Tower reaches 725ft (221m) with 53 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 575,018 sqf (53,421m²) more than what the 777 Tower 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.

Both the 777 Tower and the Bank of America Corporate Center were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

Both buildings were completed when the Postmodernism 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 777 Tower and the Bank of America Corporate 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.

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

Both the 777 Tower and the Bank of America Corporate Center rely on a Framed Tube In Tube structural system.

A tube-in-tube system combines a reinforced central core with a perimeter of columns connected by floor slabs. This arrangement creates a stiff structure that resists both vertical and lateral forces efficiently.

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.