Designed by SOM project manager Bruce Graham, who later was lead architect for the John Hancock Center and the Willis Tower, the BMA tower is completely devoid of ornament, using only the contrast between the white cladding on the columns and beams with the black glazing as expression. In design it is closely related to the First City National Bank Building in Houston, designed by Gordon Bunshaft, another SOM partner. Even more than the upper-floor windows, the ground floor is deeply inset, with glass surrounding just the central building core to function as a lobby. The structure encloses .
