Waldorf Astoria Chicago vs Salesforce Tower

Comparing the Waldorf Astoria Chicago and the Salesforce Tower is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Lucien Lagrange Architects and Pelli Clark & Partners, 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!

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The Salesforce Tower rises higher at 817ft (249m), while the Waldorf Astoria Chicago reaches 686ft (209m). However, the Waldorf Astoria Chicago accommodates more floors with 60 levels above ground, compared to 57 floors in the Salesforce Tower.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The Salesforce Tower has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 4.4m, while the Waldorf Astoria Chicago has more compact floors averaging around 3.5m 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 Waldorf Astoria Chicago and the Salesforce 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 both Lucien Lagrange Architects and Pelli Clark & Partners followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago follows a mixed-use model, combining residential and hotel. In contrast, the Salesforce Tower has remained primarily commercial.

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago incorporates a 5-star hotel with 178 rooms. More information is available at the official website.

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago offers 60 residential units.

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago also provides 121 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 Waldorf Astoria Chicago uses a Masonry facade, while the Salesforce Tower uses a Curtain Wall facade.

A Masonry facade like the one seen in the Waldorf Astoria Chicago features a heavy masonry skin that gives it a more clasical look, while a curtain-wall facade like the one seen in the Salesforce Tower uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.