• Philadelphia, PA

• 10-unit apartment building

• 19,200sf

• completed 2024

• project website: Cambridge Street Apartments

  developer: Archive Development Group

  general contractor: Grit Construction

  structural engineer: Structure Labs

  photographer: Jeffrey Totaro

  
  

The challenge here was to give the look and feel achieved with a steel structure that our client desired with the limitations of wood frame construction.  Knowing that the pier width requirements for shear is the floor to ceiling height divided by 3.5; that was just too wide for the goal we were striving to achieve.  The decision was made to create two different planes of brickwork, a forward plane that created the narrow profile frame typically achieved with steel construction and then a recessed plane that provided the required structural width.  The two planes of brick are slightly different shades of gray with the recessed plane being slightly darker to emphasis the depth of the façade.  This was an economical way to achieve the desired aesthetic within the constraints of our construction type.  The brickwork here is coursed precisely with no cut brick, only full stretchers and headers are used adding to the very clean vision for the design.