Waldorf Astoria Chicago vs St. Regis Chicago

Comparing the Waldorf Astoria Chicago and the St. Regis Chicago is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Lucien Lagrange Architects and Studio Gang Architects, 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!

The St. Regis Chicago is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1194ft (364m) with 101 floors above ground, while the Waldorf Astoria Chicago reaches 686ft (209m) with 60 floors above ground.

St. Regis Chicago also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 1,900,001 sqf (176,516m²), which is about 1,225,405 sqf (113,844m²) more than what the Waldorf Astoria Chicago offers.

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 Waldorf Astoria Chicago and the St. Regis Chicago 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 Studio Gang Architects 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 St. Regis Chicago has remained primarily residential.

Both towers incorporate hotels as part of their program. The Waldorf Astoria Chicago features a 5-star hotel with 178 rooms, while the St. Regis Chicago includes a 5-star hotel with 192 rooms. For more details, see the official website of the Waldorf Astoria Chicago. You can also visit the official website of the St. Regis Chicago.

In terms of capacity, the Waldorf Astoria Chicago offers 60 apartments, while the St. Regis Chicago provides 393 units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Waldorf Astoria Chicago offering 121 spaces and the St. Regis Chicago offering 295.

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 St. Regis Chicago 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 St. Regis Chicago uses a lightweight glass curtain wall hung from the structure.