Commonwealth Promenade Apartments vs 900-910 North Lake Shore

Comparing the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments and the 900-910 North Lake Shore 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 in the same year.

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 Commonwealth Promenade Apartments rises higher at 253ft (77m), while the 900-910 North Lake Shore reaches 0ft (m). However, the 900-910 North Lake Shore accommodates more floors with 29 levels above ground, compared to 27 floors in the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The Commonwealth Promenade Apartments has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 2.9m, while the 900-910 North Lake Shore has more compact floors averaging around 0m each. The taller building's more generous floor heights might indicate grander interior spaces, higher ceilings, or different programmatic requirements.

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 900-910 North Lake Shore 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 900-910 North Lake Shore 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 900-910 North Lake Shore offers 524 residential units.

Both the Commonwealth Promenade Apartments and the 900-910 North Lake Shore rely on a Frame structural 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.

They also employ the same type of facade, a Curtain Wall facade.

A curtain wall is a non-load-bearing facade hung from the structural frame. It is anchored to floor slabs and transfers only its own weight and wind loads, allowing for sleek, glassy exteriors.