111 Huntington Avenue Building vs Winthrop Center Building

Comparing the 111 Huntington Avenue Building and the Winthrop Center Building is interesting because they both rise in Boston, MA, yet they were conceived by two different design teams, CBT Architects and Handel Architects, and were completed at different points in time. They were finished over two decades apart.

This contrast within the same city allows us to see how different creative minds interpreted the evolving needs of Boston across time.

Let's take a closer look!

The Winthrop Center Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 689ft (210m) with 48 floors above ground, while the 111 Huntington Avenue Building reaches 554ft (169m) with 36 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 111 Huntington Avenue Building and the Winthrop Center Building 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 CBT Architects and Handel 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 Winthrop Center Building follows a mixed-use model, combining commercial and residential. In contrast, the 111 Huntington Avenue Building has remained primarily commercial.

The Winthrop Center Building offers 317 residential units.

Both the 111 Huntington Avenue Building and the Winthrop Center Building 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.