Promotion: a Morse code-like pattern of domed brickwork by US brick company Glen-Gery was chosen for a mixed-used building in New York City designed by US architect Morris Adjmi.
Grand Mulberry consists of seven storeys and is located in Manhattan’s Little Italy neighbourhood.
Glen-Gery bricks were chosen to reflect both the building’s new role, as the home of the Italian American Museum, and the site’s heritage.
According to Adjmi, in 1932, Little Italy in Soho, New York, was once home to Italian immigrants, resulting in Italianate – a mid-19-century style of brickwork and ornamentation.
Italianate facades are characterised by decorative changes as the building rises. The design consists of a base, middle and top, which features different patterning or brickwork.
In the construction of Grand Mulberry, the custom-shaped dome bricks were arranged with the aim of creating an illusion of an Italianate facade.
At the base of the building, the bricks are arranged in horizontal bands. At the middle and top levels, they are placed to mimic the structure of arched and pediment windows.
The Glen-Gery bricks were hand-moulded in order to create their unique patterns and shapes, which was developed specifically for the project. Here, domes were built into the custom brick, which was then traditionally laid using a double-stacked running bond coursing.
The patterns are derived from a number of brick variations, including bricks double the width and height; bricks with double domes; double bricks with a single dome; lipped bricks; and bricks without domes.
“The dots are in fact domes built into custom brick,” said Adjmi. “These bricks come in roughly thirty different shapes.”
“All have a uniform, clay colour, and all are laid using a double-stacked running bond coursing,” Adjmi continued. “The idea was to create something that had the appearance of a historic building.”
The building’s ground level is the new home for the Italian American Museum, which is set to open in 2024. The upper section of the building holds 20 condominiums, which will have diverse uses.
Glen-Gery was founded in 1890 in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and is one of the nation’s largest brick manufacturers. It produces over 600 brick products that come in a wide range of textures and sizes.
To learn more about Glen-Gery, visit its website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Glen-Gery as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
