The Harrison Building vs Loews Hotel Tower

Comparing the The Harrison Building and the Loews Hotel Tower is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (San Francisco, CA and Chicago, IL), both were designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and finished within just one year apart. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

The Loews Hotel Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 568ft (173m) with 52 floors above ground, while the The Harrison Building reaches 495ft (151m) with 49 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 The Harrison Building and the Loews Hotel Tower were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Contemporary style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So Solomon Cordwell Buenz followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

The Loews Hotel Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel and residential. In contrast, the The Harrison Building has remained primarily residential.

The Loews Hotel Tower incorporates a 4-star hotel with 400 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

In terms of capacity, the The Harrison Building offers 298 apartments, while the Loews Hotel Tower provides 389 units.

Both the The Harrison Building and the Loews Hotel 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.