Columbus Plaza vs Three Illinois Center

Comparing the Columbus Plaza and the Three Illinois Center is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Chicago, IL both were designed by Fujikawa Conterato Lohan and Associates, and they were completed just one year apart.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Fujikawa Conterato Lohan and Associates approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

The Columbus Plaza is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 469ft (143m) with 47 floors above ground, while the Three Illinois Center reaches 351ft (107m) with 28 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 Three Illinois 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 Three Illinois Center is primarily commercial.

The Columbus Plaza offers 533 residential units.

The Three Illinois Center also provides 294 parking spaces.

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 Columbus Plaza uses a Window Wall facade, while the Three Illinois Center uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Window Wall facade like the one seen in the Columbus Plaza uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the Three Illinois Center uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.