• Philadelphia, PA

• 15-unit apartment building with ground floor commercial

• 17,900sf

• completed 2023

  developer: Khosla Properties

  general contractor: Tester Construction Group

  structural engineer: StructureLabs

  photographer: Jeffrey Totaro

  
  

The general perception is that black brick is going to be "too dark", but because of the slightly iridescent finish used here the opposite is true.  The sheen on the brick in the bright sunlight renders the brick almost white and as the day passes and the sun shifts the brick goes from dark to light and back again.  With black brick you get two buildings in one and it lends itself towards a more "modern" building.  The design here takes its cue from the traffic roundabout it faces where we chose to round the acute angle corner of the building.  Slightly projected bands of brick create a grid over the facade that create another everchanging layer of shadow play over the facade.