Two Liberty Place Building vs G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building

Comparing the Two Liberty Place Building and the G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building is interesting because they both stand in Philadelphia, PA, and were completed in the same year, 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 Two Liberty Place Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 846ft (258m) with 58 floors above ground, while the G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building reaches 564ft (172m) with 45 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 Two Liberty Place Building and the G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building 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 Murphy/Jahn Architects and WZMH Architects followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Two Liberty Place Building follows a mixed-use model, combining residential. In contrast, the G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building has remained primarily commercial.

Originally, the Two Liberty Place Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to mixed. The G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Two Liberty Place Building offers 113 residential units.

The Two Liberty Place Building also provides 750 parking spaces.

Both the Two Liberty Place Building and the G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building rely on a Framed Tube In Tube structural system.

A tube-in-tube system combines a reinforced central core with a perimeter of columns connected by floor slabs. This arrangement creates a stiff structure that resists both vertical and lateral forces efficiently.

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.