12. Surface

Surface

The surface is the visible forms that a building shows to the world. This could also be its structure, but most of the time, the structure is hidden away. In some cases, a building’s surface forms can allude to or completely disguise a building’s use. The image of the Longaberger Basket Building, which housed the headquarters of the eponymous company, is an example of a building that shows exactly what its use is. The Longaberger company makes baskets, and the forms on this building’s surface reflect the company’s foundational operation. The deconstruction of the SIS building in London is an example of a surface whose forms neither give away nor completely disguise the building’s purpose. No one looking at its surface’s formal arrangements would say that it was the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service if they did not know already. However, it also does not give a completely different idea of what occurs in the building. Ponce City Market, in Atlanta, Georgia, would be an example of a building whose purpose is disguised by its surface. The large rectangular windows arranged in a grid scream factory, but this once factory is now a shopping center and community hub in Atlanta, completely throwing off initial conceptions of the building’s use.

Clockwise from the top right:

Ponce City Market in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Nimmons, Carr, and Wright Architects. Photo by Phillip Spears.

A deconstruction of the facade of the SIS building in London, U.K. Made by author.

The Longaberger Basket Building in Newark, Ohio. Designed by Korda Nemeth Engineering. Photo by Heritage Ohio.

Ponce City Market in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Nimmons, Carr, and Wright Architects. Photo

The Longaberger Basket Building in Newark, Ohio. Designed by Korda Nemeth Engineering.