Trump International Hotel and Tower vs St. Regis Chicago

Comparing the Trump International Hotel and Tower and the St. Regis Chicago is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Studio Gang Architects, 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!

The St. Regis Chicago is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1194ft (364m) with 101 floors above ground, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower reaches 1181ft (360m) with 92 floors above ground.

St. Regis Chicago also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 1,900,001 sqf (176,516m²), which is about 1,897,401 sqf (176,274m²) more than what the Trump International Hotel and Tower offers.

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 Trump International Hotel and Tower and the St. Regis Chicago 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 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Studio Gang Architects followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel, residential and commercial. In contrast, the St. Regis Chicago has remained primarily residential.

Both towers incorporate hotels as part of their program. The Trump International Hotel and Tower features a 5-star hotel with 339 rooms, while the St. Regis Chicago includes a 5-star hotel with 192 rooms. For more details, see the official website of the Trump International Hotel and Tower. You can also visit the official website of the St. Regis Chicago.

In terms of capacity, the Trump International Hotel and Tower offers 486 apartments, while the St. Regis Chicago provides 393 units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Trump International Hotel and Tower offering 960 spaces and the St. Regis Chicago offering 295.

Both the Trump International Hotel and Tower and the St. Regis Chicago rely on a Frame structural 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.

They also employ the same type of facade, 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.