BOK Park Plaza vs Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons

Comparing the BOK Park Plaza and the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Oklahoma City, OK and Milwaukee, WI), both were designed by Pickard Chilton 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 Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 554ft (169m) with 32 floors above ground, while the BOK Park Plaza reaches 433ft (132m) with 27 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons has less total built-up area than BOK Park Plaza.

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 BOK Park Plaza and the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons 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 Pickard Chilton 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 BOK Park Plaza and the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons 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 BOK Park Plaza also provides 2200 parking spaces.

Both the BOK Park Plaza and the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons 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.