One Liberty Plaza Building vs Random House Tower

Comparing the One Liberty Plaza Building and the Random House Tower 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 31 years apart.

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

The One Liberty Plaza Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 741ft (226m) with 54 floors above ground, while the Random House Tower reaches 682ft (208m) with 52 floors above ground.

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.

The One Liberty Plaza Building was designed in the International Style style, while the Random House Tower 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 Random House Tower followed the then mainstream Contemporary, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

With 31 years between them, the comparison also reflects how quickly architectural priorities can shift from one dominant language to another.

The Random House Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining commercial and residential. In contrast, the One Liberty Plaza Building has remained primarily commercial.

The Random House Tower offers 101 residential units.

The Random House Tower also provides 150 parking spaces.

Both the One Liberty Plaza Building and the Random House Tower 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.