One Magnificent Mile Building vs 900 North Michigan Building

Comparing the One Magnificent Mile Building and the 900 North Michigan Building is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than 6 years apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of Chicago across time.

Let's take a closer look!

The 900 North Michigan Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 871ft (265.5m) with 66 floors above ground, while the One Magnificent Mile Building reaches 673ft (205m) with 57 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.

Both the One Magnificent Mile Building and the 900 North Michigan Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Postmodernism style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Both towers follow a mixed-use program. The One Magnificent Mile Building combines retail, commercial and residential, while the 900 North Michigan Building integrates retail, commercial, residential and hotel. Notably, both include retail, commercial and residential as part of their program.

The 900 North Michigan Building incorporates a 5-star hotel with rooms. More information is available at the official website.

In terms of capacity, the One Magnificent Mile Building offers 182 apartments, while the 900 North Michigan Building provides 106 units.

The 900 North Michigan Building also provides 1330 parking spaces.

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 Magnificent Mile Building uses a Modular facade, while the 900 North Michigan Building uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Modular facade like the one seen in the One Magnificent Mile Building employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the 900 North Michigan Building uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.