860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments vs Promontory Apartments

Comparing the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments and the Promontory Apartments is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Chicago, IL both were designed by Mies van der Rohe, and they were completed within 2 years of each other.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Mies van der Rohe approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

The 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 269ft (82m) with 26 floors above ground, while the Promontory Apartments reaches 218ft (66.5m) with 22 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 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments and the Promontory Apartments were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So Mies van der Rohe 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 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments and the Promontory Apartments were designed to serve as residential towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

In terms of capacity, the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments offers 248 apartments, while the Promontory Apartments provides 122 units.

Both the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments and the Promontory Apartments 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 Window Wall facade.

A window wall system is installed between floor slabs. It is simpler and faster to build than curtain walls, but exposes slab edges and requires careful detailing to avoid thermal bridges.