Four Seasons Hotel New York vs 550 Madison Avenue

Comparing the Four Seasons Hotel New York and the 550 Madison Avenue is interesting because they both rise in New York, NY, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Johnson/Burgee Architects, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than 9 years apart.

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

Let's take a closer look!

The Four Seasons Hotel New York is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 682ft (208m) with 52 floors above ground, while the 550 Madison Avenue reaches 646ft (197m) with 37 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, Four Seasons Hotel New York has less total built-up area than 550 Madison Avenue.

By contrast, the Four Seasons Hotel New York sits on a site with a lower floor area ratio.

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 Four Seasons Hotel New York and the 550 Madison Avenue were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

The Four Seasons Hotel New York was designed at a moment when the Postmodernism style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 550 Madison Avenue style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 550 Madison Avenue was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

The Four Seasons Hotel New York is primarily hotel, while the 550 Madison Avenue is primarily commercial.

The Four Seasons Hotel New York incorporates a 5-star hotel with 368 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The 550 Madison Avenue also provides 20 parking spaces.

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 Seasons Hotel New York uses a Masonry facade, while the 550 Madison Avenue uses a Modular facade.

A Masonry facade like the one seen in the Four Seasons Hotel New York features a heavy masonry skin that gives it a more clasical look, while a modular facade like the one seen in the 550 Madison Avenue employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.