Republic Plaza Building vs Random House Tower

Comparing the Republic Plaza Building and the Random House Tower is compelling because they were both designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, yet they stand in different cities (Denver, CO and New York, NY), and were completed a decade apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places in different periods of time.

The Republic Plaza Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 715ft (218m) with 56 floors above ground, while the Random House Tower reaches 682ft (208m) with 52 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.

The Republic Plaza Building was designed in the Modern style, while the Random House Tower reflects the principles of Contemporary.

The Republic Plaza Building represents a late expression of the Modern, a style already in decline in 1984 when it was completed. By contrast, the Random House Tower followed the then mainstream Contemporary, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

The Random House Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining commercial and residential. In contrast, the Republic Plaza Building has remained primarily commercial.

The Random House Tower offers 101 residential units.

The Random House Tower also provides 150 parking spaces.

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The Republic Plaza Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Random House Tower uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

And when it came to the facade, the Modular went with a Modular facade, which employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while the Random House Tower opted for a Curtain Wall facade, that uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.