Four Embarcadero Center vs One Embarcadero Center

Comparing the Four Embarcadero Center and the One Embarcadero Center is interesting because they both rise in San Francisco, CA, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, John Portman & Associetes and John Portman & Associates, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than a decade apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of San Francisco across time.

Let's take a closer look!

Both the Four Embarcadero Center and the One Embarcadero Center were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Brutalism style.

Both buildings were completed when the Brutalism style was already past its peak. This makes them feel like late echoes of the movement, more reflective of continuity or nostalgia than of cutting-edge design at the time.

Both the Four Embarcadero Center and the One Embarcadero 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 towers provide significant parking capacity, with Four Embarcadero Center offering 221 spaces and the One Embarcadero Center offering 542.

Both towers share the same structural solution, a Frame 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.

However, when it comes to the facade, both buildings use different approaches. The Four Embarcadero Center uses a Curtain Wall facade, while the One Embarcadero Center uses a Modular facade.

A Curtain Wall facade like the one seen in the Four Embarcadero Center uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while a modular facade like the one seen in the One Embarcadero Center employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.