30 Hudson Yards vs One Vanderbilt

Comparing the 30 Hudson Yards and the One Vanderbilt is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in New York, NY both were designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, and they were completed just one year apart.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The One Vanderbilt rises higher at 1401ft (427m), while the 30 Hudson Yards reaches 1296ft (395m). However, the 30 Hudson Yards accommodates more floors with 73 levels above ground, compared to 67 floors in the One Vanderbilt.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The One Vanderbilt has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 6.4m, while the 30 Hudson Yards has more compact floors averaging around 5.4m 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.

Both the 30 Hudson Yards and the One Vanderbilt 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 Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

Both the 30 Hudson Yards and the One Vanderbilt 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 the 30 Hudson Yards and the One Vanderbilt rely on a Trussed Frame structural system.

A trussed-frame system adds diagonal bracing to a traditional frame, creating triangulated elements that improve resistance against wind and seismic forces.

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.