Lipstick Building vs Ally Detroit Center

Comparing the Lipstick Building and the Ally Detroit Center is compelling because they were both designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects, yet they stand in different cities (New York, NY and Detroit, MI), and were completed more than 7 years apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places at roughly the same time (7 years isn't that much time when it comes to urban context and architecture).

The Ally Detroit Center is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 607ft (185m) with 43 floors above ground, while the Lipstick Building reaches 453ft (138m) with 34 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 Lipstick Building 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 Lipstick Building was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Both the Lipstick Building and the Ally Detroit Center are primarily commercial towers, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

The Ally Detroit Center also provides 2070 parking spaces.

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

The Lipstick Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube structural system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, 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.