Alfred I. DuPont Building vs SLS South Beach Hotel

Comparing the Alfred I. DuPont Building and the SLS South Beach Hotel is interesting because they both stand in Miami, FL, and were completed just one year apart, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The SLS South Beach Hotel rises higher at 203ft (62m), while the Alfred I. DuPont Building reaches 0ft (m). However, the Alfred I. DuPont Building accommodates more floors with 17 levels above ground, compared to 12 floors in the SLS South Beach Hotel.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The SLS South Beach Hotel has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 5.2m, while the Alfred I. DuPont Building has more compact floors averaging around 0m each. The taller building's more generous floor heights might indicate grander interior spaces, higher ceilings, or different programmatic requirements.

These different proportions likely reflect the specific needs each building was designed to serve, whether driven by zoning regulations, client requirements, or the intended use of the spaces within. The contrast shows how architects can achieve different spatial experiences even when working with similar overall building scales.

Both the Alfred I. DuPont Building and the SLS South Beach Hotel were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

Both buildings were completed when the Art Deco 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.

The Alfred I. DuPont Building is primarily commercial, while the SLS South Beach Hotel is primarily hotel.

The SLS South Beach Hotel incorporates a 4-star hotel with 142 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

These two towers illustrate the many possible ways to combine structure and enclosure in skyscraper design.