The Fordham Building vs Atwater Apartments Building

Comparing the The Fordham Building and the Atwater Apartments Building is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in Chicago, IL, and were both designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. However, they were completed more than 6 years apart.

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

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The The Fordham Building rises higher at 574ft (175m), while the Atwater Apartments Building reaches 554ft (169m). However, the Atwater Apartments Building accommodates more floors with 53 levels above ground, compared to 50 floors in the The Fordham Building.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The The Fordham Building has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 3.5m, while the Atwater Apartments Building has more compact floors averaging around 3.2m 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 The Fordham Building and the Atwater Apartments Building 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 Solomon Cordwell Buenz 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 The Fordham Building and the Atwater Apartments Building were designed to serve as residential towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

In terms of capacity, the The Fordham Building offers 224 apartments, while the Atwater Apartments Building provides 480 units.

The Atwater Apartments Building also provides 401 parking spaces.

Both towers share the same structural solution, a Frame system.

A frame structure uses a grid of columns and beams to carry the building's loads. This frees the walls from structural duties, allowing for flexible floor plans and larger windows.

However, when it comes to the facade, both buildings use different approaches. The The Fordham Building uses a Modular facade, while the Atwater Apartments Building uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Modular facade like the one seen in the The Fordham Building employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the Atwater Apartments Building uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.