IDS Tower vs 190 South LaSalle Street

Comparing the IDS Tower and the 190 South LaSalle Street is compelling because they were both designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects, yet they stand in different cities (Minneapolis, MN and Chicago, IL), and were completed a decade apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places in different periods of time.

The IDS Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 791ft (241m) with 55 floors above ground, while the 190 South LaSalle Street reaches 574ft (175m) with 40 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 IDS Tower and the 190 South LaSalle Street 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 Johnson/Burgee Architects followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

Both the IDS Tower and the 190 South LaSalle Street 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 towers provide significant parking capacity, with IDS Tower offering 538 spaces and the 190 South LaSalle Street offering 55.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The IDS Tower uses a Trussed Frame system, which uses diagonal bracing in addition to beams and columns for stability, while the 190 South LaSalle Street 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 Curtain Wall went with a Curtain Wall facade, which uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while the 190 South LaSalle Street opted for a Modular facade, that employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.