City Place I vs Trump International Hotel and Tower

City Place I
Trump International Hotel and Tower

Comparing the City Place I and the Trump International Hotel and Tower is compelling because they were both designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, yet they stand in different cities (Hartford, CT and Chicago, IL), and were completed over two decades apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places in different periods of time.

Height
164m
Floors
38

Height & Size

Height
360m
Floors
92

The Trump International Hotel and Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1181ft (360m) with 92 floors above ground, while the City Place I reaches 538ft (164m) with 38 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, Trump International Hotel and Tower has less total built-up area than City Place I.

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.

Style
Modern

Architectural Style

Style
Contemporary

The City Place I was designed in the Modern style, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower reflects the principles of Contemporary.

The City Place I represents a late expression of the Modern, a style already in decline in 1984 when it was completed. By contrast, the Trump International Hotel and Tower followed the then mainstream Contemporary, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

With 25 years between them, the comparison also reflects how quickly architectural priorities can shift from one dominant language to another.

Main use
Commercial

Uses

Main use
Mixed

The Trump International Hotel and Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel, residential and commercial. In contrast, the City Place I has remained primarily commercial.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower incorporates a 5-star hotel with 339 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower offers 486 residential units.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower also provides 960 parking spaces.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Modular

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

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 City Place I uses a Modular facade, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Modular facade like the one seen in the City Place I employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the Trump International Hotel and Tower uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.

City Place I Trump International Hotel and Tower
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
1980 Construction Started 2005
1984 Year Completed 2009
Modern Architectural Style Contemporary
Commercial Current Use Mixed
38 Floors Above Ground 92
3 Floors Below Ground 5
164 m Height (m) 360 m
76180 Built-up Area (m²) 241.548
Frame Structure Type Frame
Steel Vertical Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Concrete, Steel Horizontal Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Yes Facade Structural? No
Granite, Glass Main Facade Material Glass And Stainless Steel Panels
W.E. O'Neil Construction Main Contractor Bovis Lend Lease
Skidmore, Owings And Merrill Structural Engineer William F. Baker
CT State IL
Hartford City Chicago
185 Asylum Street Address 401 N. Wabash Ave.