Architects about facades

We're going to try on a new project.

Wall cladding in travertine, sandstone scalloped corners, openwork wrought iron balcony railings.

How to build a new commercial building, but keep the old city features?

This project emphasizes the preserved raised façade, in a continuity with the style and scale of the surrounding buildings. The new building tries not to be noticed, the architecture is functional and the fiber cement cladding is Swisspearl Largo with soft colors. It is deliberately shaded so that the façade that was preserved behind it stands out better and maintains the traditional character of the street.

The Blumenthal Building office building in São Paulo, Brazil. Architects Kruchin Arquitetura.

Nominee for ArchDaily’s 2021 Building of the Year Awards in the Office Buildings» and «Renovation» categories.

A decorative maiolica frieze in several shades of majolica with corbels that transition into pilasters in the corners of the house.

In this project, we used tinted decors a couple of shades lighter than the walls, rather than white. The shutters and wrought iron grilles fill in the empty wall spaces. And a highlight —is the concave folded copper canopy over the main entrance.

Reconstruction of an old brick townhouse in Vietnam. Architects Landmak Architecture.

The new façade is made of white concrete blocks in an openwork lattice-like pattern. They create a delicate balance between total privacy with blank fences and transparency of the panoramic glazing.

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Continuing the theme of brick patterns on the façade. Here are some examples of ornamental brickwork in our projects.

For a full dive into the topic, read our article about ornamental masonry.

Transformation of the Carlsberg plant in Copenhagen into a residential area. ADEPT architects.

Theodora House is built on the site of the original yeast warehouse and named after the daughter of the brewery's founder. Most of the new development is occupied by apartments.

The red brick was used for the mixed use, typical of industrial buildings from the early 20th century. The purpose of making the facade more interesting and dynamic is to use ornamentation and the curving brick form. The interior façade is white with a crate for climbing plants to cover the entire façade.

The house was purchased with existing finishes that did not suit the new owners.

The new look with harmonious color and textures is much more confident and noble.

The walls are tiled in a heterogeneous Bavarian style, the joints in light beige, and the horizontal bands are plastered with a fine grain plaster. The decors are of a warm shade, in tones of the plaster belts, to give a cozy look and impression of an already lived in house. The plinth cladding — graphite stoneware.

Erker — part of the façade that protrudes from the general plane. It can have different shapes (round, rectangular, polyhedral) and floors. It is fixed to the facade with cantilever beams, if the support goes up to the foundation — it's already a risalite.

The photo is of a home renovation in Canada. Drew Mandel Architects architecture.

Half of the facade with its traditional bay window remains untouched, while the other half has been combined with a dormer window to make a larger projecting part with floor-to-ceiling windows. It's a good example of reinventing an existing facade with a minimum of intervention.