432 Park Avenue vs Four Seasons New York Downtown

432 Park Avenue
Four Seasons New York Downtown

Comparing the 432 Park Avenue and the Four Seasons New York Downtown is interesting because they both stand in New York, NY, and were completed just one year apart, 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.

Height
425m
Floors
85

Height & Size

Height
282m
Floors
82

The 432 Park Avenue is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1394ft (425m) with 85 floors above ground, while the Four Seasons New York Downtown reaches 925ft (282m) with 82 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.

Style
Contemporary

Architectural Style

Style
Contemporary

Both the 432 Park Avenue and the Four Seasons New York Downtown 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 both Rafael Viñoly and Robert A.M. Stern Architects followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Main use
Residential

Uses

Main use
Mixed

The Four Seasons New York Downtown follows a mixed-use model, combining residential and hotel. In contrast, the 432 Park Avenue has remained primarily residential.

The Four Seasons New York Downtown incorporates a 5-star hotel with 189 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

In terms of capacity, the 432 Park Avenue offers 104 apartments, while the Four Seasons New York Downtown provides 157 units.

Structure
Framed Tube In Tube
Facade
Window Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Modular

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The 432 Park Avenue uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Four Seasons New York Downtown uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

And when it came to the facade, the Window Wall went with a Window Wall facade, which uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible, while the Four Seasons New York Downtown opted for a Modular facade, that employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.

432 Park Avenue Four Seasons New York Downtown
Rafael Viñoly Architect Robert A.M. Stern Architects
2011 Design Ended 2008
2011 Construction Started 2013
2015 Year Completed 2016
Contemporary Architectural Style Contemporary
Residential Current Use Mixed
85 Floors Above Ground 82
3 Floors Below Ground 2
392 Last Floor Height 265
425 m Height (m) 282 m
104 Residential Units 157
Framed Tube In Tube Structure Type Frame
Reinforced Concrete Vertical Structure Material Concrete
Reinforced Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Concrete, Steel
Yes Facade Structural? No
Concrete, Glass Main Facade Material Limestone, Concrete
Lendlease Corporation Main Contractor Tishman Construction
CIM Group And Macklowe Properties Developer Silverstein Properties
WSP Flack + Kurtz MEP Engineer WSP Flack + Kurtz
WSP Cantor Seinuk Structural Engineer WSP Cantor Seinuk
NY State NY
New York City New York
432 Park Avenue Address 30 Park Place