Bank of America Tower vs One Liberty Place Building

Comparing the Bank of America Tower and the One Liberty Place Building is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Jacksonville, FL and Philadelphia, PA), both were designed by Murphy/Jahn Architects and finished within within 3 years of each other. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The Bank of America Tower rises higher at 617ft (188m), while the One Liberty Place Building reaches 0ft (m). However, the One Liberty Place Building accommodates more floors with 61 levels above ground, compared to 42 floors in the Bank of America Tower.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The Bank of America Tower has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 4.5m, while the One Liberty Place Building has more compact floors averaging around 0m each. The taller building's more generous floor heights might indicate grander interior spaces, higher ceilings, or different programmatic requirements.

These different proportions likely reflect the specific needs each building was designed to serve, whether driven by zoning regulations, client requirements, or the intended use of the spaces within. The contrast shows how architects can achieve different spatial experiences even when working with similar overall building scales.

Both the Bank of America Tower and the One Liberty Place Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So Murphy/Jahn Architects followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

Both the Bank of America Tower and the One Liberty Place 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.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Bank of America Tower offering 650 spaces and the One Liberty Place Building offering 779.

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

The Bank of America Tower uses a Frame structural system, which relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight, while the One Liberty Place Building 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.