The Fordham Building vs One Chicago East Tower

The Fordham Building
One Chicago East Tower

Comparing the The Fordham Building and the One Chicago East Tower is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Solomon Cordwell Buenz and Goettsch Partners , 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 Chicago across time.

Let's take a closer look!

Height
175m
Floors
50

Height & Size

Height
296m
Floors
77

The One Chicago East Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 971ft (296m) with 77 floors above ground, while the The Fordham Building reaches 574ft (175m) with 50 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.

Style
Contemporary

Architectural Style

Style
Contemporary

Both the The Fordham Building and the One Chicago East 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 both Solomon Cordwell Buenz and Goettsch Partners followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Main use
Residential

Uses

Main use
Residential

Both the The Fordham Building and the One Chicago East Tower 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 One Chicago East Tower provides 353 units.

The One Chicago East Tower also provides 1100 parking spaces.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Modular

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

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 One Chicago East 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 One Chicago East Tower uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.

The Fordham Building One Chicago East Tower
Solomon Cordwell Buenz Architect Goettsch Partners
2001 Construction Started 2019
2003 Year Completed 2022
Contemporary Architectural Style Contemporary
Residential Current Use Residential
50 Floors Above Ground 77
2 Floors Below Ground 4
175 m Height (m) 296 m
224 Residential Units 353
Frame Structure Type Frame
Yes Facade Structural? No
Concrete And Glass Main Facade Material Aluminum, Glass
Bennett And Brosseau Main Contractor Power Construction
Fordham Company Developer JDL
IL State IL
Chicago City Chicago
25 E Superior St, Chicago Address 1 West Chicago Avenue