Murmuration

• Philadelphia, PA

• 4,836gsf

• completed 2023

• 2024 AIA Philadelphia Award Winner for Divine Detail

• 2024 BIA Residential Multi-Family Bronze Medal Winner

developer: Vikara Social Development

masonry contractor: New MB General Contractors

Murmuration is the tendency of starlings to flock in large groups in which individual members create articulate collective forms. This project uses brick in the same fashion. Areas of brick are either individually rotated from the center or recessed and projected to create a composition across the façade that is evocative of the forms taken by starling murmuration.

The design is rather simple and is based on a running bond pattern with all openings and edges resolved with full stretchers and headers, but it required unique considerations to construct properly to achieve the design intent. Specifically, the rotated bricks required a low absorption SW brick to be used, and for the brick to be solid to reduce the amount of water infiltration into the bricks considering the number of small projections.

AIA Philadelphia jury comments: “This project brings lightness and playfulness to brick as it twists, turns, swoops and swirls across the facade in a beautiful shape shifting cloud. The jury appreciated the attention to detail in creating a dynamic facade out of a simple brick”.

CANNOdesign collaborated with their socially-conscious development partner to support the nonprofit Evidence Action throughout the development of the project. A portion of the fees from the project supported deworming projects for children living in extreme poverty.