Willis Tower vs 900-910 North Lake Shore

Comparing the Willis Tower and the 900-910 North Lake Shore is interesting because they both rise in Chicago, IL, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Mies van der Rohe, 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 Willis Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 1450ft (442m) with 108 floors above ground, while the 900-910 North Lake Shore reaches 0ft (m) with 29 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 Willis Tower and the 900-910 North Lake Shore were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the International Style style.

The Willis Tower was designed at a moment when the International Style style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 900-910 North Lake Shore style was already in decline, making it more of a lingering expression of the movement. In contrast, the 900-910 North Lake Shore was built when the style still carried greater cultural weight.

The Willis Tower is primarily commercial, while the 900-910 North Lake Shore is primarily residential.

The 900-910 North Lake Shore offers 524 residential units.

Both the Willis Tower and the 900-910 North Lake Shore rely on a Frame structural 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.

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.