Neutral cream brickwork gives the building its weight, while rounded cuts in the masonry soften the edges of the stacked volumes. Seen from the street, the composition reads in long horizontal bands, broken by dark balcony railings and large glazed openings that pull light deep into the facade.

A horizontal mass with a lifted top level

The main body of the modern brick apartment building is a rectangular volume in brick, stretched across four levels. That long line is interrupted only where the upper floor steps back. Two penthouses sit under a green roof, each with a large terrace, and the setback makes the top of the building read lighter than the base below. The window openings continue up to the roof edge, so the upper zone feels open even before the terraces are read in detail.

What holds the whole composition together is the strict line of each storey. A thin band of neutral cream brickwork marks the floors one by one, while the rounded facade niches and curved columns set up a quieter counterpoint. The result is not a flat wall, but a facade that shifts between straight runs and softened corners. From a distance, the building still feels orderly; up close, the brickwork reveals a slower rhythm.

Rounded brickwork that interrupts the straight line

The most distinctive moments sit in the masonry itself. Rounded facade niches are cut into the cream brick, and the same material returns in curved columns that support the surface above. On the second level, those columns step back, so the facade does not simply stack upward in one plane. Instead, the wall seems to fold and release, creating depth without losing the horizontal reading of the whole building.

That movement is especially visible in the brick arch detail. The curve is not used as decoration on its own; it changes how the brick wall meets the openings and how shadow gathers along the edges. In daylight, the rounded sections catch light differently from the straighter bands, which gives the neutral cream brickwork a layered appearance. The material remains constant, but the form keeps shifting.

Large openings, dark frames and a clear contrast

Dark balcony railings and vertical bars sharpen the composition. Against the pale brick, the railings draw a crisp line across each level, while the glazed openings behind them add depth and reflection. The balcony fronts do not disappear into the facade; they mark out each floor and make the horizontal facade composition readable at once. That contrast is strongest where the dark metal meets the cream masonry at the edge of a terrace.

At several points, the balconies stack in a steady rhythm. The repetition is broken by the rounded brick forms, which keeps the apartment building facade from becoming rigid. Large glazing panels sit between the masonry fields, and their dark frames echo the balcony railings rather than competing with them. The effect is understated, but each opening still has a clear role in the overall order of the elevation.

Brick, glass and timber at the top of the building

The top level changes material. Warm timber appears on the setback floor and returns in the joinery, so the roof zone reads differently from the brick base below. That shift is subtle in color but clear in surface: the timber softens the upper edge and gives the penthouses a more open frame around the terraces. Because the roof line is stepped back, the timber sits above the main mass like a lighter cap.

The green roof and the broad terrace surfaces reinforce that change. They pull the eye away from the solid brick body and toward the upper edge of the building, where the last volume is separated into two parts. Seen together, the timber, glass and planting give the upper floor a distinct identity without breaking the overall order. The modern brick apartment building stays grounded in masonry, yet the top level does not feel sealed off from the rest of the composition.

A material palette that stays precise

Brickwork remains the dominant surface, but the execution is what gives it character. The facade uses NATURE7 Brick J laid in a wild bond with a 12 mm joint, so the cream-toned masonry avoids looking mechanical. The joint lines stay fine and disciplined, allowing the texture of the brick to show through. That choice is visible across the larger wall fields, where the pattern reads as a quiet background rather than a loud motif.

Because the brick is repeated in curved and straight forms, the material never becomes monotonous. It shifts from the rounded facade niches to the flat floor bands and then to the supporting columns, all in the same neutral tone. This is where the apartment building facade makes its strongest statement: not through ornament, but through the way one material is shaped to carry different parts of the volume.

How the street elevation holds its rhythm

From the street, the building presents a firm base and a lifted crown. The lower floors read as one continuous brick body, while the setback upper level loosens that mass at the top. Dark balcony railings, large windows and the brick arch detail keep the facade from flattening into a single plane. Each level has its own line, but the whole remains legible in one glance.

The modern brick apartment building depends on that steady alternation between mass and opening. Cream brick, rounded niches, dark metal and glazing do not fight for attention; they mark different layers of the same composition. That is what makes the building readable from a distance and rewarding at closer range, where the brick bond, the curved edges and the terrace fronts become more precise.

Architectural design by Caan Architecten
Client: Rietveld Projects
Facade brick: Brick7 Nature7 Brick J
Application: Wild bond, cream brushed joint

Photography: © Eli Lammertyn