Equitable Life Building vs MCI Center

Comparing the Equitable Life Building and the MCI Center is interesting because they both stand in Los Angeles, CA, and were completed within 4 years of each other, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

The Equitable Life Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 453ft (138m) with 34 floors above ground, while the MCI Center reaches 413ft (126m) with 31 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 Equitable Life Building and the MCI Center were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

The MCI Center was designed at a moment when the International Style style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the Equitable Life Building was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Both the Equitable Life Building and the MCI Center 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 the Equitable Life Building and the MCI Center 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.