University Apartments vs Aon Center

University Apartments
Aon Center

Comparing the University Apartments and the Aon Center is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, I. M. Pei and Edward Durell Stone, 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
94m
Floors
10

Height & Size

Height
346m
Floors
83

The Aon Center is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1135ft (346m) with 83 floors above ground, while the University Apartments reaches 308ft (94m) with 10 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
International Style

Architectural Style

Style
International Style

Both the University Apartments and the Aon Center were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

The Aon Center was designed at a moment when the International Style style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the University Apartments was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

Main use
Residential

Uses

Main use
Commercial

The University Apartments is primarily residential, while the Aon Center is primarily commercial.

The University Apartments offers 540 residential units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with University Apartments offering 220 spaces and the Aon Center offering 679.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Window Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Framed Tube In Tube
Facade
Curtain Wall

The two buildings opted for different structural and facade solutions.

The University Apartments uses a Frame system, which relies on a regular grid of columns and beams to sustain its weight, while the Aon Center uses a Framed Tube In Tube system, that combines a strong central core with a perimeter tube of columns.

And when it came to the facade, the Window Wall went with a Window Wall facade, which uses panels fitted between floor slabs, leaving slab edges visible, while the Aon Center opted for a Curtain Wall facade, that uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.

University Apartments Aon Center
I. M. Pei Architect Edward Durell Stone
1959 Construction Started 1970
1961 Year Completed 1973
International Style Architectural Style International Style
Residential Current Use Commercial
10 Floors Above Ground 83
1 Floors Below Ground 5
94 m Height (m) 346 m
8 Number of Elevators 50
Frame Structure Type Framed Tube In Tube
Concrete Vertical Structure Material Steel
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Concrete
Yes Facade Structural? Yes
Glass, Concrete Main Facade Material [
August Komendant Structural Engineer Perkins & Will
IL State IL
Chicago City Chicago
1400 1451 E.55th Street Address 200 E.Randolph Street