U.S. Bank Tower vs 71 South Wacker Building

Comparing the U.S. Bank Tower and the 71 South Wacker Building is compelling because they were both designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, yet they stand in different cities (Los Angeles, CA and Chicago, IL), and were completed a decade apart.

What this will allow us to see, is how the same firm's approach adapted to different places in different periods of time.

The U.S. Bank Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1017ft (310m) with 73 floors above ground, while the 71 South Wacker Building reaches 679ft (207.1m) with 48 floors above ground.

Despite being taller and having more floors, U.S. Bank Tower has less total built-up area than 71 South Wacker Building.

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.

The U.S. Bank Tower was designed in the Postmodernism style, while the 71 South Wacker Building reflects the principles of Contemporary.

At the time of their completion, both styles were well established. This makes the comparison especially interesting, because both buildings represent a dominant aesthetic at a particular point in time.

Both the U.S. Bank Tower and the 71 South Wacker Building were designed to serve as commercial towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with U.S. Bank Tower offering 1396 spaces and the 71 South Wacker Building offering 163.

Both the U.S. Bank Tower and the 71 South Wacker Building rely on a Framed Tube In Tube structural system.

A tube-in-tube system combines a reinforced central core with a perimeter of columns connected by floor slabs. This arrangement creates a stiff structure that resists both vertical and lateral forces efficiently.

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.