Gas Company Tower vs Figueroa at Wilshire Building

Comparing the Gas Company Tower and the Figueroa at Wilshire Building is interesting because they both stand in Los Angeles, CA, 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.

Both the Gas Company Tower and the Figueroa at Wilshire Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

The Gas Company Tower 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 Figueroa at Wilshire Building style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the Figueroa at Wilshire Building was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Both the Gas Company Tower and the Figueroa at Wilshire Building 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 the Gas Company Tower and the Figueroa at Wilshire Building 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.