Columbus Plaza vs Aon Center

Comparing the Columbus Plaza and the Aon Center is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Fujikawa Conterato Lohan and Associates and Edward Durell Stone, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than 7 years 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 Aon Center is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1135ft (346m) with 83 floors above ground, while the Columbus Plaza reaches 469ft (143m) with 47 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 Columbus Plaza and the Aon Center were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

Both buildings were completed when the International Style style was already past its peak. This makes them feel like late echoes of the movement, more reflective of continuity or nostalgia than of cutting-edge design at the time.

The Columbus Plaza is primarily residential, while the Aon Center is primarily commercial.

The Columbus Plaza offers 533 residential units.

The Aon Center also provides 679 parking spaces.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The Columbus Plaza uses a Frame system, which relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight, while the Aon Center uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, that combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns.

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 Aon Center opted for a Curtain Wall facade, that uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.