IDS Tower vs Ally Detroit Center

Comparing the IDS Tower and the Ally Detroit Center is compelling because they were both designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects, yet they stand in different cities (Minneapolis, MN and Detroit, MI), 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 Ally Detroit Center reaches 607ft (185m) with 43 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 Ally Detroit Center were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

The Ally Detroit Center 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 Ally Detroit Center are primarily commercial towers, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with IDS Tower offering 538 spaces and the Ally Detroit Center offering 2070.

The two towers rely on different structural systems, reflecting distinct engineering strategies.

The IDS Tower uses a Trussed Frame structural system, which uses diagonal bracing in addition to beams and columns for stability, while the Ally Detroit Center uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

Yet, when it comes to their facade, they both employed the same solution, 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.