IDS Tower vs 400 West Market

Comparing the IDS Tower and the 400 West Market is compelling because they were both designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects, yet they stand in different cities (Minneapolis, MN and Louisville, KY), and were completed over two decades 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 400 West Market reaches 548ft (167m) with 35 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 400 West Market were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

The 400 West Market 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 IDS Tower was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Both the IDS Tower and the 400 West Market 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 400 West Market offering 789.

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 400 West Market 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 400 West Market opted for a Modular facade, that employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.