River Point Tower vs BOK Park Plaza

Comparing the River Point Tower and the BOK Park Plaza is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Chicago, IL and Oklahoma City, OK), both were designed by Pickard Chilton and finished within just one year apart. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

The River Point Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 732ft (223m) with 52 floors above ground, while the BOK Park Plaza reaches 433ft (132m) with 27 floors above ground.

River Point Tower also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 1,799,993 sqf (167,225m²), which is about 299,506 sqf (27,825m²) more than what the BOK Park Plaza offers.

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 River Point Tower and the BOK Park Plaza 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 Pickard Chilton 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 River Point Tower and the BOK Park 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 River Point Tower offering 160 spaces and the BOK Park Plaza offering 2200.

The two towers rely on different structural systems, reflecting distinct engineering strategies.

The River Point Tower uses a Framed Tube In Tube structural system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the BOK Park Plaza uses a Frame system, that relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight.

Yet, when it comes to their facade, they both employed the same solution, 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.