Park Tower at Transbay vs One Chicago East Tower

Comparing the Park Tower at Transbay and the One Chicago East Tower is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (San Francisco, CA and Chicago, IL), both were designed by Goettsch Partners and finished within within 4 years of each other. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

The One Chicago East Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 971ft (296m) with 77 floors above ground, while the Park Tower at Transbay reaches 604ft (184m) with 43 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 Park Tower at Transbay and the One Chicago East Tower 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 Goettsch Partners followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

The Park Tower at Transbay is primarily commercial, while the One Chicago East Tower is primarily residential.

The One Chicago East Tower offers 353 residential units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Park Tower at Transbay offering 117 spaces and the One Chicago East Tower offering 1100.

Both the Park Tower at Transbay and the One Chicago East 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.