BMO Tower vs One Chicago West Tower

Comparing the BMO Tower and the One Chicago West Tower is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Chicago, IL both were designed by Goettsch Partners , and they were completed in the same year.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Goettsch Partners approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

The BMO Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 728ft (222m) with 51 floors above ground, while the One Chicago West Tower reaches 574ft (175m) with 49 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 BMO Tower and the One Chicago West Tower were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Contemporary style.

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

The BMO Tower is primarily commercial, while the One Chicago West Tower is primarily residential.

The One Chicago West Tower offers 391 residential units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with BMO Tower offering 324 spaces and the One Chicago West Tower offering 1100.

Both the BMO Tower and the One Chicago West Tower 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.