Crain Communications Building vs Two Prudential Plaza

Comparing the Crain Communications Building and the Two Prudential Plaza is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, A.Epstein and Sons International and Loebl, Schlossman & Hackl, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than 6 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 Two Prudential Plaza is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 994ft (303m) with 64 floors above ground, while the Crain Communications Building reaches 581ft (177m) with 41 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 Crain Communications Building and the Two Prudential Plaza were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both A.Epstein and Sons International and Loebl, Schlossman & Hackl followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Both the Crain Communications Building and the Two Prudential Plaza were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

The Two Prudential Plaza also provides 325 parking spaces.

The two towers rely on different structural systems, reflecting distinct engineering strategies.

The Crain Communications Building uses a Frame structural system, which relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight, while the Two Prudential Plaza uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, that combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns.

Yet, when it comes to their facade, they both employed the same solution, 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.