BNY Mellon Center Pittsburgh Building vs First Bank and Trust Tower

Comparing the BNY Mellon Center Pittsburgh Building and the First Bank and Trust Tower is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Pittsburgh, PA and New Orleans, LA), both were designed by Welton Becket and Associates and finished within within 3 years of each other. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

The BNY Mellon Center Pittsburgh Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 725ft (221m) with 54 floors above ground, while the First Bank and Trust Tower reaches 482ft (147m) with 36 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 BNY Mellon Center Pittsburgh Building and the First Bank and Trust Tower 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 Welton Becket and Associates and Welton Becket & Associates 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 BNY Mellon Center Pittsburgh Building and the First Bank and Trust Tower 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 First Bank and Trust Tower also provides 520 parking spaces.

Both the BNY Mellon Center Pittsburgh Building and the First Bank and Trust Tower 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.