Solow Building vs 599 Lexington Avenue Building

Comparing the Solow Building and the 599 Lexington Avenue Building is interesting because they both rise in New York, NY, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Edward Larrabee Barnes, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished more than a decade apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of New York across time.

Let's take a closer look!

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The Solow Building rises higher at 673ft (205m), while the 599 Lexington Avenue Building reaches 653ft (199m). However, the 599 Lexington Avenue Building accommodates more floors with 51 levels above ground, compared to 49 floors in the Solow Building.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The Solow Building has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 4.2m, while the 599 Lexington Avenue Building has more compact floors averaging around 3.9m each.

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 Solow Building and the 599 Lexington Avenue Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Modern style.

Both buildings were completed when the Modern 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 Solow Building and the 599 Lexington Avenue Building were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

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

The Solow Building uses a Trussed Frame structural system, which uses diagonal bracing in addition to beams and columns for stability, while the 599 Lexington Avenue Building 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.