Millennium Tower vs Park Tower at Transbay

Comparing the Millennium Tower and the Park Tower at Transbay is interesting because they both rise in San Francisco, CA, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Handel Architects and Goettsch Partners , and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than 9 years apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of San Francisco across time.

Let's take a closer look!

Both the Millennium Tower and the Park Tower at Transbay 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 both Handel Architects and Goettsch Partners followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Millennium Tower is primarily residential, while the Park Tower at Transbay is primarily commercial.

The Millennium Tower offers 419 residential units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Millennium Tower offering 340 spaces and the Park Tower at Transbay offering 117.

Both the Millennium Tower and the Park Tower at Transbay 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.