Regions Center vs Spear Tower at One Market Plaza

Comparing the Regions Center and the Spear Tower at One Market Plaza is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Birmingham, AL and San Francisco, CA), both were designed by Welton Becket & Associates 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 Spear Tower at One Market Plaza is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 564ft (172m) with 42 floors above ground, while the Regions Center reaches 390ft (119m) with 30 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 Regions Center and the Spear Tower at One Market Plaza were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

Both buildings were completed when the International Style style was already past its peak. This makes them feel like late echoes of the movement, more reflective of continuity or nostalgia than of cutting-edge design at the time.

Both the Regions Center and the Spear Tower at One Market Plaza 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 towers provide significant parking capacity, with Regions Center offering 390 spaces and the Spear Tower at One Market Plaza offering 162.

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 Regions Center uses a Curtain Wall facade, while the Spear Tower at One Market Plaza uses a Modular facade.

A Curtain Wall facade like the one seen in the Regions Center uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure, while a modular facade like the one seen in the Spear Tower at One Market Plaza employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows.