
286 Coles Street - Featured Project
An exterior massing and facade precedent by MHS Architecture illustrating how dark masonry framing can ground a predominantly glazed multi-family tower.
- What we like about this project
- The transition from solid brick-framed bays to an all-glass curtain wall crown at the top of the taller tower.
Materials
- brick
- glass
- metal
Visual identifiers
- brick-frame
- glass-curtain-wall
- corner-tower
- stepped-massing
Style tags
- contemporary
- urban-modern
- rationalist
Visual tags
- mixed-use
- residential-tower
- urban-infill
- facade-articulation
- contemporary
- Geometry
- An articulated multi-volume complex combining mid-rise block elements with a taller glazed and brick-framed tower rising prominently at the corner.
- Facade system
- Combination of dark masonry frame openings and full-height glass curtain wall glazing.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete frame construction
- Spatial scale
- Large multi-story residential development towering over standard urban street proportions.
- Lighting
- Bright daytime light with clear shadows casting across street and facade, emphasizing the depth of the masonry frames.
- Atmosphere
- Clear, optimistic daytime urban atmosphere with crisp architectural lines.
- Environmental context
- Urban street corner site flanked by existing industrial brick structures and suburban-style street paving.
- Spatial experience
- The street-facing facade presents a strong urban edge with distinct podium volumes stepping back to accommodate taller residential massing above.
- Composition rhythm
- Vertical articulation defined by repeating masonry piers and glass bays across multiple tiered volumes.
- Style reading
- Contemporary urban multi-family residential architecture
- Program
- Multi-family residential with ground-floor commercial space
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- brick, glass, metal
- Visual identifiers
- brick-frame, glass-curtain-wall, corner-tower, stepped-massing
- Style tags
- contemporary, urban-modern, rationalist
- Visual tags
- mixed-use, residential-tower, urban-infill, facade-articulation, contemporary
- Geometry
- An articulated multi-volume complex combining mid-rise block elements with a taller glazed and brick-framed tower rising prominently at the corner.
- Facade system
- Combination of dark masonry frame openings and full-height glass curtain wall glazing.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete frame construction
- Spatial scale
- Large multi-story residential development towering over standard urban street proportions.
- Lighting
- Bright daytime light with clear shadows casting across street and facade, emphasizing the depth of the masonry frames.
- Atmosphere
- Clear, optimistic daytime urban atmosphere with crisp architectural lines.
- Environmental context
- Urban street corner site flanked by existing industrial brick structures and suburban-style street paving.
- Spatial experience
- The street-facing facade presents a strong urban edge with distinct podium volumes stepping back to accommodate taller residential massing above.
- Composition rhythm
- Vertical articulation defined by repeating masonry piers and glass bays across multiple tiered volumes.
- Style reading
- Contemporary urban multi-family residential architecture
- Program
- Multi-family residential with ground-floor commercial space
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture