One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building vs Gas Company Tower


Comparing the One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building and the Gas Company Tower is compelling because they were both designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, yet they stand in different cities (New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA), and were completed over two decades apart.
What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places in different periods of time.
Height & Size
The One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 814ft (248m) with 60 floors above ground, while the Gas Company Tower reaches 748ft (228m) with 52 floors above ground.
One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 2,240,000 sqf (208,103m2), which is about 458,252 sqf (42,573m2) more than what the Gas Company Tower offers.
By contrast, the One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building sits on a site with a lower floor area ratio.
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.
Architectural Style
The One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building was designed in the International Style style, while the Gas Company Tower reflects the principles of Postmodernism.
The Gas Company Tower represents a late expression of the Postmodernism, a style already in decline in 1991 when it was completed. By contrast, the One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building followed the then mainstream International Style, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.
With 30 years between them, the comparison also reflects how quickly architectural priorities can shift from one dominant language to another.
Uses
Both the One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building and the Gas Company Tower were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.
Structure & Facade
The two towers rely on different structural systems, reflecting distinct engineering strategies.
The One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube structural system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Gas Company Tower uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.
Yet, when it comes to their facade, they both employed the same solution, 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.
One Chase Manhattan Plaza Building | Gas Company Tower | |
---|---|---|
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | Architect | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
1957 | Construction Started | 1988 |
1961 | Year Completed | 1991 |
International Style | Architectural Style | Postmodernism |
Commercial | Current Use | Commercial |
60 | Floors Above Ground | 52 |
5 | Floors Below Ground | 8 |
248 m | Height (m) | 228 m |
208103 | Built-up Area (m²) | 165530 |
Framed Tube In Tube | Structure Type | Frame |
Steel | Vertical Structure Material | Steel |
Reinforced Concrete | Horizontal Structure Material | Concrete |
Yes | Facade Structural? | No |
Aluminum, Glass | Main Facade Material | Glass, Steel |
Turner Construction | Main Contractor | Turner Construction |
Isamu Noguchi | Collaborating Artist | Frank Stella |
NY | State | CA |
New York | City | Los Angeles |
28 Liberty Street | Address | 555 West 5th Street |