The Bell Building vs Lake Point Tower

Comparing the The Bell Building and the Lake Point Tower is interesting because they both stand in Chicago, IL, and were completed within 2 years of each other, 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.

The Lake Point Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 646ft (197m) with 70 floors above ground, while the The Bell Building reaches 427ft (130m) with 31 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 The Bell Building and the Lake Point Tower 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.

The The Bell Building is primarily , while the Lake Point Tower is primarily residential.

Originally, the The Bell Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to . The Lake Point Tower by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Lake Point Tower offers 725 residential units.

The Lake Point Tower also provides 709 parking spaces.

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

The The Bell Building uses a Framed Tube In Tube structural system, which combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns, while the Lake Point Tower 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.