Chanin Building vs Graybar Building

Comparing the Chanin Building and the Graybar Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in New York, NY both were designed by Sloan & Robertson, and they were completed within 2 years of each other.

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

The Chanin Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 650ft (198m) with 56 floors above ground, while the Graybar Building reaches 351ft (107m) with 30 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, Chanin Building has less total built-up area than Graybar Building.

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 Chanin Building and the Graybar Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So Sloan & Robertson 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 Chanin Building and the Graybar 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 the Chanin Building and the Graybar Building 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 Masonry facade.

A masonry facade gives the building a heavier, more traditional appearance. It often conceals a frame structure behind it, creating the look of solid walls without carrying the main loads.