Published October 1, 2021
Top Façade Designs on Mortarr
Discover the top facades featured on Mortarr that break boundaries and push the creative envelope
By Halee Miller
Staff Writer
Facades and firm handshakes have something in common. You’ve guessed it — first impressions. Whether it's all glass, full of bold color, or made of mind-boggling architecture, the facade is the first look into what the structure represents and what its designers want it to convey — so you want to get it right. Be inspired by these stunning facades that have left us speechless since day one.
Pro Team: Hariri Pontarini Architects, Doublespace Photography, Guy Wenborne, Sebastián Wilson León
The Baha’i Temple of South America is designed to be a place of welcome and meaning for everyone. Its design aspires to commonality within diversity, and it has attracted over 1.4 million visitors since opening in 2016. The temple’s nine gracefully torqued wings, bound to an oculus at the top, are made of an outer layer of cast-glass panels and an interior layer of translucent marble from Portugal.
Pro Team: Kearns Mancini Architects Inc., Patkau Architects, Westmetro Glass Service, Glasfabrik Lamberts, Doublespace Photography, Riley Snelling
Certifications: Environmental Product Declarations
At the Fort York Visitor Center, Bendheim's channel glass creates a light-diffusing second skin facade. The translucent material defines the upper levels and becomes a part of the architectural “ramp” that ascends from the grounds to the viewing platform at the top. Come nighttime, projected images turn the structure into a monumental art installation.
Pro Team: Stanton Architecture, Innovo Construction, Potomac Construction Services
In the heart of Washington, D.C., across the street from the Smithsonian Institution and situated amidst the historic General Post Office built in 1839, Hotel Monaco DC set out to make a bold, one-of-a-kind architectural statement. Their onsite restaurant, the Dirty Habit, is covered in 2,042 square feet of SageGlass glazing, which automatically darkens or clears in response to sun movement throughout the day.
Mortarr Subscriber: Giroux Glass Inc.
Pro Team: Ferrari Images, Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects,, Cunningham Group Architects
Located on the Sunset Strip, Pendry West Hollywood offers a fresh take on modern luxury. Embodying everything that West Hollywood is known for — design, entertainment, and inspiration — the building’s iconic glass facade by Giroux Glass Inc. offers visitors and residents sweeping views across Los Angeles and up to Hollywood Hills. Come for the sunshine, stay for the scene.
Mortarr Subscriber: Terreal North America
Pro Team: Harris Consulting Engineers, MA Engineering, Lage Design, Taney Engineering, TSK Architects, Stonepanels
Terreal’s Piterak Slim Terracotta Cladding Panels were selected for the College of Southern Nevada’s Las Vegas’ campus Student Union. Bold colors and sharp lines are the distinctive design principles for this memorable facade. Serving as a common space for the college’s students, the unique building is perfect for creative collaboration and innovation.
Designed by Australian architectural firm FJMT, the state-of-the-art glass-encased UTS Central is made up of a striking dual design, with a 10-level twisted tower sitting above a 5-level podium and two underground floors. The UTS Central design is notable for its elegant, curved lines, which provide a complementary contrast to the modular, utilitarian design of the Brutalist UTS Tower. To make the structure even more interesting — no two floor plans are the same.
Pro Team: baldridgeARCHITECTS, Austin Commercial, Casey Dunn
Inspired by the existing warehouse structures of the neighborhood it inhabits in East Austin, Texas, the new Arrive Hotel uses a sturdy masonry infilled concrete structure as the foundation for its eye-catching, cantilever design. The luxurious dark tone and unique sheen of the manganese ironspot brick façade contrasts against the ribbons of sinewy concrete to forge a striking exterior that effortlessly blends a feeling of strength and beauty. Also featured in the interior of this signature structure, the manganese ironspot brick from Endicott Clay Products adds a dynamic industrial flair to the lobby, stairwells, hallways and social gathering spaces within this 77,000 ft2 complex.