NEMA Chicago Building vs 432 Park Avenue

Comparing the NEMA Chicago Building and the 432 Park Avenue is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Chicago, IL and New York, NY), both were designed by Rafael Viñoly and finished within within 4 years of each other. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

The 432 Park Avenue is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1394ft (425m) with 85 floors above ground, while the NEMA Chicago Building reaches 896ft (273m) with 81 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, 432 Park Avenue has less total built-up area than NEMA Chicago Building.

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 NEMA Chicago Building and the 432 Park Avenue 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 Rafael Viñoly 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 NEMA Chicago Building and the 432 Park Avenue were designed to serve as residential towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

In terms of capacity, the NEMA Chicago Building offers 800 apartments, while the 432 Park Avenue provides 104 units.

The NEMA Chicago Building also provides 500 parking spaces.

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

The NEMA Chicago Building uses a Frame structural system, which relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight, while the 432 Park Avenue uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, that combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns.

Yet, when it comes to their facade, they both employed the same solution, a Window Wall facade.

A window wall system is installed between floor slabs. It is simpler and faster to build than curtain walls, but exposes slab edges and requires careful detailing to avoid thermal bridges.