One57 Building vs Four Seasons New York Downtown

Comparing the One57 Building and the Four Seasons New York Downtown is interesting because they both stand in New York, NY, and were completed within 2 years of each other, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The One57 Building rises higher at 1004ft (306m), while the Four Seasons New York Downtown reaches 925ft (282m). However, the Four Seasons New York Downtown accommodates more floors with 82 levels above ground, compared to 73 floors in the One57 Building.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The One57 Building has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 4.2m, while the Four Seasons New York Downtown has more compact floors averaging around 3.4m 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 One57 Building and the Four Seasons New York Downtown 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 both Christian de Portzamparc and Robert A.M. Stern Architects 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 One57 Building combines residential and hotel, while the Four Seasons New York Downtown integrates residential and hotel. Notably, both include residential and hotel as part of their program.

Both towers incorporate hotels as part of their program. The One57 Building features a 5-star hotel with 210 rooms, while the Four Seasons New York Downtown includes a 5-star hotel with 189 rooms. For more details, see the official website of the One57 Building. You can also visit the official website of the Four Seasons New York Downtown.

In terms of capacity, the One57 Building offers 94 apartments, while the Four Seasons New York Downtown provides 157 units.

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 One57 Building uses a Curtain Wall facade, while the Four Seasons New York Downtown uses a Modular facade.

A Curtain Wall facade like the one seen in the One57 Building uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while a modular facade like the one seen in the Four Seasons New York Downtown employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.