NYC-based architecture firm BKSK designed this unusual rain screen, composed of repeating terra cotta elements, for a building at 470 Columbus Avenue.

"The design for a new 9-story mixed-use residential and retail building at 470 Columbus features a modern interpretation of traditional district typology on Manhattan's Upper West Side. With Architecture and Interiors by BKSK, the design for "Charlotte of the Upper West Side" is cohesive – the warm materials, modern detailing and concepts of screening are carried throughout, with both centered on the contemporary heart of the building; the cleverly disguised, heroic glass windows."

"Intended to dialogue directly with the Upper West Side district typology, the building's design drew inspiration from the architectural traditions of sculptural brick and terra cotta details, planes of masonry, and robust cornices. In that tradition, 470 Columbus is designed of layers of masonry – the brick piers are interwoven with horizontal terra cotta baguettes to create a suspended terra cotta rain screen that conceals large, contemporary windows, framing legible openings that mirror the punched windows of adjacent tenement buildings. Inside, the horizontal screening of the terra cotta rain screen evokes a modern serene quality and the layers of masonry give way to contemporary wood."

"The project is designed to achieve Passive House certification, with exceptional energy efficiency and low energy use requirements, and is the first LPC approved residential condominium built to Passive House standards in Manhattan."

Check out more BKSK projects here.