The Fordham Building vs Loews Hotel Tower

Comparing the The Fordham Building and the Loews Hotel Tower 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 12 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 Loews Hotel Tower reaches 568ft (173m). However, the Loews Hotel Tower accommodates more floors with 52 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 Loews Hotel Tower has more compact floors averaging around 3.3m 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 Loews Hotel Tower 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.

The Loews Hotel Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel and residential. In contrast, the The Fordham Building has remained primarily residential.

The Loews Hotel Tower incorporates a 4-star hotel with 400 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

In terms of capacity, the The Fordham Building offers 224 apartments, while the Loews Hotel Tower provides 389 units.

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 Loews Hotel Tower 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 Loews Hotel Tower uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.