Did you know that The Tower Burbank stands as a testament to innovative engineering? This Modernist skyscraper demands your attention. You are standing at 3900 W. Alameda Ave, ready to explore its unique story.
The Tower Burbank is not just another building. It resembles a 32-story luxury liner. It seems to be moored at a busy Burbank intersection.
Completed in 1988, The Tower Burbank was a marvel. It was the tallest poured-in-place concrete ductile frame building. It was erected in a high-risk seismic area in the United States. This is no small feat considering California’s earthquake history.
Developers Dee Christiansen and Steve Geiger chose poured-in-place ductile concrete. They had many reasons for this choice. It was economical. It was also temperature-stable. The material offered nearly limitless possibilities in design and texture. Site-cast ductile concrete is not common in the United States. Steel-frame construction is the standard.
Modern engineering allowed site-cast ductile concrete to be formidable. It is a match for steel-frame construction when facing earthquakes. Each design has its own limitations.
Steel is strong and precise. It is also predictable and light. Its columns are smaller than concrete ones. This allows for more floor space. However, steel loses strength during severe fires. It also corrodes in certain environments.
A site-cast concrete structure like The Tower Burbank tends to be heavier. Its construction is relatively slow. Each level must be formed, reinforced, poured, cured, and stripped. The dense vertical columns take up floor space. The construction techniques are complex. They require elaborate steel reinforcing elements.
But The Tower Burbank’s exposed concrete skeleton can be textured. It can be shaped like a sculpture. This saves the expense of a costly facade. Its interior responds to external temperatures.
Architect Duane Trossen created The Tower Burbank’s original scheme. He oriented the building diagonally to Alameda Avenue. Financial issues forced Trossen to leave the project.
Herb Nadel continued the Tower’s design in 1986. Nadel initially preferred a steel frame. He would have designed a larger form. He would have made the bay depths wider.
Because the bay depths were narrow, Nadel designed an immense expanse of window glass. Office workers would have sweeping views of Los Angeles. Their workspaces would be flooded with natural light.
The Tower Burbank’s gray-white skin gives the building an illusory lightness. It is solidly grounded though. Its powerful entryway hints at monumentalism. Nadel shaped it like the body of a man, head, shoulders, and form. This archetypal form is repeated in the building’s concrete and colored granite. Decorations are sparse.
Nadel wanted people to feel the building. He didn’t want them to be indifferent. The Tower Burbank stands tall. It has a height of 140.2 meters or 460 feet. It has 32 stories above ground and four below. It is an all-concrete structure.
The Tower Burbank remains a landmark. It is a testament to innovation. It is a unique piece of Burbank’s architectural landscape. Its story is etched in concrete and glass. It is waiting to be discovered by those who pass by. When you pass The Tower Burbank, take a moment. Feel the building.