The master plan for the large-scale mixed-use development known as Mahler 4 provided footprints for nine buildings to be designed by different architects and constructed above a 2,000-car parking garage. MGA&D was assigned a wedge-shaped site for an eight-story 110,000 SF speculative office building with a retail base, the smallest building but the development’s centerpiece. The character and detailing of the building are reminiscent of the geometries of 1920s Dutch architecture, notably the use of a buff-colored attenuated brick known as “Dudok brick” after the early 20th century architect Willem Dudok. The copper-clad barrel-vaulted roofs create spaces for special functions such as boardrooms and a conference center.
