Devon Energy Center vs BOK Park Plaza

Comparing the Devon Energy Center and the BOK Park Plaza is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in Oklahoma City, OK, and were both designed by Pickard Chilton. However, they were completed more than 6 years apart.

This offers a unique perspective on how the architect's style and the city's architecture evolved over time.

The Devon Energy Center is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 850ft (259m) with 50 floors above ground, while the BOK Park Plaza reaches 433ft (132m) with 27 floors above ground.

Devon Energy Center also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 3,005,281 sqf (279,200m²), which is about 1,504,793 sqf (139,800m²) more than what the BOK Park Plaza offers.

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 Devon Energy Center and the BOK Park Plaza were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Contemporary style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So Pickard Chilton 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 Devon Energy Center and the BOK Park 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.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Devon Energy Center offering 2898 spaces and the BOK Park Plaza offering 2200.

Both the Devon Energy Center and the BOK Park Plaza 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.