One Liberty Plaza Building vs 383 Madison Avenue Building

Comparing the One Liberty Plaza Building and the 383 Madison Avenue Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in New York, NY, and were both designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. However, they were completed more than 29 years apart.

This offers a unique perspective on how the architect's style and the city's architecture evolved over time.

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The 383 Madison Avenue Building rises higher at 755ft (230m), while the One Liberty Plaza Building reaches 741ft (226m). However, the One Liberty Plaza Building accommodates more floors with 54 levels above ground, compared to 47 floors in the 383 Madison Avenue Building.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The 383 Madison Avenue Building has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 4.9m, while the One Liberty Plaza Building has more compact floors averaging around 4.2m each. The taller building's more generous floor heights might indicate grander interior spaces, higher ceilings, or different programmatic requirements.

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.

The One Liberty Plaza Building was designed in the International Style style, while the 383 Madison Avenue Building reflects the principles of Contemporary.

The One Liberty Plaza Building represents a late expression of the International Style, a style already in decline in 1972 when it was completed. By contrast, the 383 Madison Avenue Building followed the then mainstream Contemporary, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

With 29 years between them, the comparison also reflects how quickly architectural priorities can shift from one dominant language to another.

Both the One Liberty Plaza Building and the 383 Madison 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 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 One Liberty Plaza Building uses a Curtain Wall facade, while the 383 Madison Avenue Building uses a Modular facade.

A Curtain Wall facade like the one seen in the One Liberty Plaza Building uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while a modular facade like the one seen in the 383 Madison Avenue Building employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.