John Hancock Tower vs Prudential Tower

Comparing the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Tower is interesting because they both rise in Boston, MA, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and The Luckman Partnership, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than a decade 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 John Hancock Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 791ft (241m) with 60 floors above ground, while the Prudential Tower reaches 751ft (229m) with 52 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 John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Tower were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

The John Hancock Tower was designed at a moment when the International Style style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the Prudential Tower style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the Prudential Tower was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Both the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Tower 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 John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Tower 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.