University Club Tower vs 7 World Trade Center

Comparing the University Club Tower and the 7 World Trade Center is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Milwaukee, WI and New York, NY), both were designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and finished within just one year apart. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

The 7 World Trade Center is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 741ft (226m) with 51 floors above ground, while the University Club Tower reaches 446ft (136m) with 34 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.

Both the University Club Tower and the 7 World Trade Center 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 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 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 University Club Tower is primarily residential, while the 7 World Trade Center is primarily commercial.

The University Club Tower offers 53 residential units.

The University Club Tower also provides 106 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 University Club Tower uses a Modular facade, while the 7 World Trade Center uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Modular facade like the one seen in the University Club Tower employs prefabricated panels, often mixing solid surfaces with smaller windows, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the 7 World Trade Center uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.