City National Plaza vs Figueroa at Wilshire Building

Comparing the City National Plaza and the Figueroa at Wilshire Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in Los Angeles, CA, and were both designed by Albert C. Martin & Associates. However, they were completed more than 18 years apart.

This offers a unique perspective on how the architect's style and the city's architecture evolved over time.

The City National Plaza was designed in the International Style style, while the Figueroa at Wilshire Building reflects the principles of Postmodernism.

The City National Plaza represents a late expression of the International Style, a style already in decline in 1972 when it was completed. By contrast, the Figueroa at Wilshire Building followed the then mainstream Postmodernism, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

Both the City National Plaza and the Figueroa at Wilshire 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.

The City National Plaza also provides 2485 parking spaces.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The City National Plaza uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Figueroa at Wilshire Building uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

And when it came to the facade, the Window Wall went with a Window Wall facade, which uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible, while the Figueroa at Wilshire Building opted for a Curtain Wall facade, that uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.