Rainier Square Tower vs Russell Investments Center

Comparing the Rainier Square Tower and the Russell Investments Center is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in Seattle, WA, and were both designed by NBBJ. However, they were completed more than 14 years apart.

This offers a unique perspective on how the architect's style and the city's architecture evolved over time.

The Rainier Square Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 846ft (258m) with 58 floors above ground, while the Russell Investments Center reaches 597ft (182m) with 42 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 Rainier Square Tower and the Russell Investments Center 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 NBBJ 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 Rainier Square Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining commercial, residential and retail. In contrast, the Russell Investments Center has remained primarily commercial.

The Rainier Square Tower offers 189 residential units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Rainier Square Tower offering 1000 spaces and the Russell Investments Center offering 711.

Both the Rainier Square Tower and the Russell Investments Center rely on a Framed Tube In Tube structural system.

A tube-in-tube system combines a reinforced central core with a perimeter of columns connected by floor slabs. This arrangement creates a stiff structure that resists both vertical and lateral forces efficiently.

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.