MetLife Building vs 277 Park Avenue Building

Comparing the MetLife Building and the 277 Park Avenue Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in New York, NY both were designed by Emery Roth & Sons, and they were completed just one year apart.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Emery Roth & Sons approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

The MetLife Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 807ft (246m) with 59 floors above ground, while the 277 Park Avenue Building reaches 686ft (209m) with 50 floors above ground.

MetLife Building also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 3,143,059 sqf (292,000m²), which is about 1,375,562 sqf (127,794m²) more than what the 277 Park Avenue Building offers.

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 MetLife Building and the 277 Park Avenue Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

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

Both the MetLife Building and the 277 Park Avenue Building 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 MetLife Building offering 315 spaces and the 277 Park Avenue Building offering 40.

Both the MetLife Building and the 277 Park Avenue Building 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.