Chase Tower vs 900-910 North Lake Shore

Comparing the Chase Tower and the 900-910 North Lake Shore is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Charles Murphy and Mies van der Rohe, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than a decade apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of Chicago across time.

Let's take a closer look!

The Chase Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 868ft (264.6m) with 61 floors above ground, while the 900-910 North Lake Shore reaches 0ft (m) with 29 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 Chase Tower and the 900-910 North Lake Shore were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Charles Murphy and Mies van der Rohe followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Chase Tower is primarily commercial, while the 900-910 North Lake Shore is primarily residential.

The 900-910 North Lake Shore offers 524 residential units.

Both towers share the same structural solution, a Frame 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.

However, when it comes to the facade, both buildings use different approaches. The Chase Tower uses a Window Wall facade, while the 900-910 North Lake Shore uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Window Wall facade like the one seen in the Chase Tower uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the 900-910 North Lake Shore uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.