Hub on Causeway Office Tower vs 111 Huntington Avenue Building

Comparing the Hub on Causeway Office Tower and the 111 Huntington Avenue Building is interesting because they both rise in Boston, MA, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Gensler and CBT Architects, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished over two decades apart.

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

Let's take a closer look!

The 111 Huntington Avenue Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 554ft (169m) with 36 floors above ground, while the Hub on Causeway Office Tower reaches 525ft (160m) with 31 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 Hub on Causeway Office Tower and the 111 Huntington Avenue Building 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 Gensler and CBT Architects followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Both the Hub on Causeway Office Tower and the 111 Huntington Avenue 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.

The Hub on Causeway Office Tower also provides 800 parking spaces.

Both the Hub on Causeway Office Tower and the 111 Huntington Avenue 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.