This new Fort Worth apartment building has a shiny, one-of-a-kind facade: It ‘moves.’
It’s hard to miss the towering silver facade on a new apartment building in Fort Worth’s Near Southside neighborhood.
When the wind blows, the facade moves.
The Willow & Wise apartment building at 218 W. Broadway Ave. has an architectural feature that is likely one of its kind in Texas — a “kinetic wall” made up of thousands of 3-inch square aluminum panels or “flappers” that catch the wind and move in wave-like patterns. If the sun’s out, the display is even more striking.
The wall, built in December, serves a purpose beyond simple aesthetics. The developer, Maverick Development Group, said it faced a design challenge as it was planning Willow & Wise, its third multifamily development in Near Southside after Mag & May and Ramble & Rose.
Codes required any parking structure that fronts the public right-of-way to be screened, which would have required Maverick to build a fake facade to conceal the building’s deck.
But a facade on the garage would restrict air flow and require the structure to be mechanically ventilated on each floor.
“A fake building facade didn’t sit well with me, and neither did paying extra dollars to ventilate the garage,” Maverick founder Brian Crowell told the Star-Telegram. “So I started poking around, asking questions, relentlessly Googling for an alternative.”
The developers wanted to incorporate some form of art on the building, such as the murals on Mag & May. Crowell came across a video of a kinetic facade on a Boston Logan International Airport parking garage, created by Pittsburgh-based Extech Exterior Technologies Inc. He reached out and made a deal to design such a wall on Willow & Wise that is 60 feet tall and 125 feet long.
And it satisfied the city’s development rules.
“We were very fortunate to find a solution to a problem that creates a public ‘good’, is unique to the area, saves some money and is amenable enough to the Urban Design Commission to grant a waiver to vary from the code,” Crowell said.
The kinetic wall may be unique in Texas. The only other example Crowell knows of is a smaller version on the JPMorgan Chase campus in Plano, though it’s not accessible to the public.
But Maverick Development Group’s next project in Near Southside could have something similar.
They are in early stages of a proposed multifamily development on East Pennsylvania Avenue at Crawford Street, next to Panther City BBQ.
The developer is considering two five-story apartment buildings on what’s currently three vacant blocks on the north side of Pennsylvania. Preliminary plans call for more than 300 units, and roughly 500 parking spots with decks in each building and newly created street spaces.
The two buildings would have a sky bridge connecting them over East Annie Street.
Will the new complex also have a kinetic wall? Crowell says there will “undoubtedly” be something of similar size, scope and impact, but it’s too early to know. His team will aim to “create an enhancement or benefit to the neighborhood” and “create a unique landmark that’s unforgettable.”
Meanwhile the Willow & Wise kinetic wall appears to be getting a lot of attention.
“Local reaction has been overwhelmingly positive,” Crowell said. “Our office is right across the street from the project, so it’s been really fun to watch people stop and look/take pictures pretty much every day.”
