University Club Tower vs Trump International Hotel and Tower

Comparing the University Club Tower and the Trump International Hotel and Tower is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL), both were designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and finished within within 2 years of each other. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1181ft (360m) with 92 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 Trump International Hotel and 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 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 Trump International Hotel and Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel, residential and commercial. In contrast, the University Club Tower has remained primarily residential.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower incorporates a 5-star hotel with 339 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

In terms of capacity, the University Club Tower offers 53 apartments, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower provides 486 units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with University Club Tower offering 106 spaces and the Trump International Hotel and Tower offering 960.

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 Trump International Hotel and Tower 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 Trump International Hotel and Tower uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.