University Club Tower vs Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons

Comparing the University Club Tower and the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons is interesting because they both rise in Milwaukee, WI, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Pickard Chilton, 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 Milwaukee across time.

Let's take a closer look!

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons rises higher at 554ft (169m), while the University Club Tower reaches 446ft (136m). However, the University Club Tower accommodates more floors with 34 levels above ground, compared to 32 floors in the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 5.3m, while the University Club Tower has more compact floors averaging around 4m each. The taller building's more generous floor heights might indicate grander interior spaces, higher ceilings, or different programmatic requirements.

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 University Club Tower and the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons 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 Pickard Chilton followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The University Club Tower is primarily residential, while the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons 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 Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons 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 Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.