Willis Tower vs Trump International Hotel and Tower

Comparing the Willis Tower and the Trump International Hotel and Tower is particularly interesting because they share the same skyline in Chicago, IL, and were both designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. However, they were completed more than 35 years apart.

This offers a unique perspective on how the architect's style and the city's architecture evolved over time.

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 Trump International Hotel and Tower reaches 1181ft (360m) with 92 floors above ground.

Willis Tower also offers more total built-up area, a total fo 4,499,999 sqf (418,064m²), which is about 4,497,399 sqf (417,822m²) more than what the Trump International Hotel and Tower 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.

The Willis Tower was designed in the International Style style, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower reflects the principles of Contemporary.

The Willis Tower represents a late expression of the International Style, a style already in decline in 1974 when it was completed. By contrast, the Trump International Hotel and Tower followed the then mainstream Contemporary, embodying the dominant architectural direction of its time.

With 35 years between them, the comparison also reflects how quickly architectural priorities can shift from one dominant language to another.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower follows a mixed-use model, combining hotel, residential and commercial. In contrast, the Willis Tower has remained primarily commercial.

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

The Trump International Hotel and Tower offers 486 residential units.

The Trump International Hotel and Tower also provides 960 parking spaces.

Both the Willis Tower and the Trump International Hotel and Tower 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.