Commonwealth Promenade Apartments vs 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments

Comparing the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Chicago, IL both were designed by Mies van der Rohe, and they were completed within 5 years of each other.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Mies van der Rohe approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments rises higher at 269ft (82m), while the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments reaches 253ft (77m). However, the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments accommodates more floors with 27 levels above ground, compared to 26 floors in the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 3.2m, while the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments has more compact floors averaging around 2.9m each.

These different proportions likely reflect the specific needs each building was designed to serve, whether driven by zoning regulations, client requirements, or the intended use of the spaces within. The contrast shows how architects can achieve different spatial experiences even when working with similar overall building scales.

Both the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments 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 Mies van der Rohe followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

Both the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments and the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments were designed to serve as residential towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

The 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments offers 248 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 Commonwealth Promenade Apartments uses a Curtain Wall facade, while the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments uses a Window Wall facade.

A Curtain Wall facade like the one seen in the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while a window-wall facade like the one seen in the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible.