NEMA Chicago Building vs One Chicago East Tower

Comparing the NEMA Chicago Building and the One Chicago East Tower is interesting because they both stand in Chicago, IL, and were completed within 3 years of each other, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The One Chicago East Tower rises higher at 971ft (296m), while the NEMA Chicago Building reaches 896ft (273m). However, the NEMA Chicago Building accommodates more floors with 81 levels above ground, compared to 77 floors in the One Chicago East Tower.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The One Chicago East Tower has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 3.8m, while the NEMA Chicago Building has more compact floors averaging around 3.4m each.

These different proportions likely reflect the specific needs each building was designed to serve, whether driven by zoning regulations, client requirements, or the intended use of the spaces within. The contrast shows how architects can achieve different spatial experiences even when working with similar overall building scales.

Both the NEMA Chicago Building and the One Chicago East 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 both Rafael Viñoly 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.

Both the NEMA Chicago Building and the One Chicago East Tower 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 One Chicago East Tower provides 353 units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with NEMA Chicago Building offering 500 spaces and the One Chicago East Tower offering 1100.

Both towers share the same structural solution, a Frame 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.

However, when it comes to the facade, both buildings use different approaches. The NEMA Chicago Building uses a Window Wall facade, while the One Chicago East Tower uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Window Wall facade like the one seen in the NEMA Chicago Building uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the One Chicago East Tower uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.