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The A. Alfred Taubman Wing at the University of Michigan gives its dark brick facade a changing rhythm through three distinct patterns: angled herringbone on the north side, overlapping joints on the east and west, and vertical running bond at the sawtooth roof monitors. The result is not a painted mural or one repeated brick treatment, but a carefully coordinated exterior that makes a previously less-visible college more legible from Bonisteel Boulevard. The wing opened for the fall 2017 semester.
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What makes the Taubman College building’s brick facade distinctive?
The facade is distinctive because its pattern changes with the building’s elevations and roof forms. Purplish-gray, semigloss ironspot brick supplies a consistent material and color, while shifts in the way the bricks are laid create different visual effects across the exterior.
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On the north elevation, angled herringbone courses create a pronounced diagonal texture, with air-intake openings integrated into the pattern. The east and west elevations use bent, overlapping joints, producing a stitched or woven appearance. At the sawtooth roof monitors, the bond changes again: vertical running courses form a repeated series of V shapes. These are coordinated parts of one design, not separate decorative motifs applied without regard to the building’s shape.
The project’s design team describes the exterior as dark and monolithic in contrast with a bright, minimalist interior. That contrast gives the brick a role beyond enclosure: the facade reads as a substantial, unified surface from outside, while the interior emphasizes natural light and shifting shadows. The Integrated Design Solutions project page describes the building’s program and design intent.
The patterns also work at different distances. At a glance, the color and mass make the wing read as one coherent volume. Up close, the bond changes and air openings reveal the craft and planning behind that impression. Kevin Marshall, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, a senior associate at Integrated Design Solutions, described the vertical running bond and herringbone as details that add visual interest close to the building. In this way, the exterior’s overall unity does not depend on every wall being identical.
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How does the brick pattern change from one elevation to another?
Each pattern is tied to a different part of the building. The north side’s herringbone is both a field of angled brickwork and a surface that incorporates air-intake openings. On the east and west, the overlapping joints make the masonry appear to interlock or weave. Near the roof, the vertical running bond echoes the repeated geometry of the sawtooth monitors.
This variation matters because a facade is experienced from different viewpoints. A person approaching or passing the building does not see only one flat plane; they encounter corners, roof transitions, openings and changing elevations. A single bond continued everywhere could make those transitions less apparent. Here, changes in the brickwork call attention to them while keeping the material and color consistent.
The herringbone and vertical bond are also legible at different scales. From a distance, the dark brick reads as a broad mass. Closer up, angled and vertical courses become visible as texture and rhythm. This gives the exterior a quieter overall presence than a contrast-heavy, multicolor treatment would, while still rewarding a closer look. That is a reading of the documented design, rather than a measured claim about how every viewer experiences it.
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The north-side intake openings are a particularly practical part of the composition: the herringbone does not simply decorate a blank surface but incorporates openings into the brickwork. The sources do not give dimensions or performance specifications for these openings, so their role should be understood at the level described: they are air intakes integrated with the facade pattern. Likewise, the east- and west-side joints and the V-shaped roof pattern are described as visual effects, not as separate building systems.
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Is the facade painted, or does the brick provide the color?
The project sources identify the exterior as brick, not a painted facade. The masonry trade interview names the material as Endicott Clay Products Dark Ironspot Smooth Modular brick. Its purplish-gray, semigloss appearance comes from the specified brick surface; the sources do not describe a field-applied paint finish.
That distinction is useful when looking at the building through a painting lens. Paint can change a surface’s color and sheen, but it cannot by itself reproduce the depth and directional pattern made by individual masonry units and their joints. On this wing, color, sheen, bond, and the placement of openings work together. The brick’s dark tone provides continuity, while the laying patterns create much of the facade’s visual movement.
The interview also notes that matching the precast concrete sills and panels to the dark brick required several rounds of samples. This is a project-specific detail, but it illustrates a practical point about coordinating exterior materials: neighboring components can look noticeably different even when their intended colors are similar. Sample review helped the team align the precast elements with the brick rather than treating each material in isolation.
The product name is specific: the source identifies a smooth modular brick in the Dark Ironspot color. It does not provide a specification sheet, unit dimensions, price, finish-maintenance schedule or consumer ordering information. That distinction matters for readers considering the material for another project: the Taubman example documents a selection and its appearance, not a complete product specification or a claim that the brick is readily available for individual purchase.
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A distinctive masonry pattern has to be communicated clearly enough to be built consistently. According to the Masonry Contractors Association of America interview with Kevin Marshall, the design team prepared setout elevations and corner details to help the mason contractor reproduce the intended patterns. These drawings and details matter because the appearance depends not only on the broad pattern but also on how it carries across corners and meets adjacent elements.
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Setout elevations make the intended layout explicit across a wall, while corner details explain how a pattern turns or terminates at an edge. On a facade with different bonds and integrated openings, those points are important to the visual result: an angled course that meets a corner unexpectedly, or an opening that interrupts a pattern without coordination, could change the effect. The interview does not provide a full construction sequence, but it does identify these drawings as tools for conveying design intent to the mason contractor.
The interview identifies Integrated Design Solutions as architect of record and Preston Scott Cohen, Inc. as design partner. It reports that the design partner developed the project in Rhinoceros 3D and IDS used Autodesk Revit; a 3D model was passed to the contractor to support coordination and building layout. In a project where brick patterns change at elevations and roof transitions, that coordination can help communicate how the design fits together. The source does not establish that a model alone determined the final placement or eliminated construction challenges.
The same interview describes the brick as installed on a formed metal stud framing system with no cavity wall insulation. That is a reported detail of this project, not a general recommendation for masonry construction. It should not be treated as a template for other buildings, whose structure, insulation strategy, climate requirements and code obligations may differ.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe interview’s material-coordination detail adds another layer to the build process. The precast sills and panels had to sit alongside a dark brick, and the team made several rounds of samples to bring the colors into alignment. That is more than a matter of choosing two names from a color chart: the actual visual relationship between materials needed to be checked through samples. The sources do not state the number of samples or identify a final tolerance, but do make clear that matching was iterative.
Marshall summarized the effect of the varying bonds in the interview: “So it’s interesting when they added the brick detail with the vertical running bond and the herringbone and those things to add some visual interest up close to the building.” His comment captures the relationship between the relatively unified exterior and the pattern details that become apparent on approach.
What did the new wing add to the college?
Before the wing opened for the fall 2017 semester, Taubman College was largely tucked behind a courtyard and shared a facility with the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design. The addition extends northeast toward Bonisteel Boulevard, making the college more visible and creating a more recognizable front door. It also connects to the existing facility by a glass-enclosed bridge.
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The wing is not only a new facade. The documented program includes an art gallery, a two-story student commons, faculty offices and studio space. Those uses bring together public-facing, shared and work areas, while the bridge links the addition to the college’s existing building. The brick’s street-facing presence and the glass connection therefore serve different roles: one establishes a solid exterior identity, and the other makes the connection between old and new visible.
The relationship between the wing and the existing facility is part of the project’s architectural story. The new volume moves toward Bonisteel Boulevard, giving the college a more direct presence where it had previously been largely hidden behind a courtyard. The glass-enclosed bridge makes the physical connection legible without making the addition’s brick exterior disappear into the older building. In other words, the project joins a campus facility while also giving the college a distinct entry point.
Published project-area figures do not fully agree. Integrated Design Solutions lists a 37,220-square-foot addition and a 117,000-square-foot renovation; MASONRY Magazine gives 37,000 square feet for the addition and 11,000 square feet for the renovation. The addition figures are close, but the renovation figures differ substantially, and the available sources do not explain the discrepancy in scope or accounting. They should be read as source-reported project figures, not combined into a single definitive total.
The reported costs also differ in how they are described. Integrated Design Solutions lists a $34.6 million project cost, while the MASONRY Magazine interview describes a $28.5 million renovation. The sources do not reconcile those amounts or establish that they use the same project scope or accounting basis. Neither figure should be presented as a settled, directly comparable total; the distinction is especially important alongside the different renovation-area figures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can the building teach about using pattern on an exterior?
The Taubman Wing offers a useful example of how pattern can animate a masonry exterior without relying on several competing colors. Its material palette stays focused, but the bonds change to respond to particular elevations, openings and roof geometry. For architects, builders and painters considering exterior character, the key distinction is that color is only one part of surface design. Texture, joint direction, shadow and transitions between materials also affect how a building reads.
It is equally important not to mistake this project’s visual strategy for a universal prescription. Herringbone, overlapping joints and vertical bond are not interchangeable treatments, and the documented design connects each to a particular location. Nor does this example show that brick is always preferable to painted cladding. It shows how a specific college addition used a dark masonry material and carefully set patterns to establish an identity, while a bright interior and glass bridge supplied a contrasting expression.
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For readers approaching the building as an architectural subject, the most revealing details are where one pattern gives way to another: at corners, near the openings, and around the roof monitors. Those transitions show how the facade was designed as a three-dimensional surface rather than as a flat graphic. For a painting audience, that is the central lesson: a building’s appearance can be built into its material and assembly, not merely applied as a finish.
The project is also a reminder that a striking surface can depend on coordination among design, documentation, masonry and adjacent materials. Setout elevations and corner details communicated the patterns; the 3D model supported coordination and layout; and sample reviews helped match the precast pieces to the brick. These are the specific methods documented for this building, not a guarantee that the same workflow or wall assembly will suit another project. What carries over as a broader observation is the value of treating pattern, openings, corners and material transitions as connected design decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “ironspot” mean in the name of the Taubman College brick?
It is part of the product identification given in the masonry interview: Dark Ironspot Smooth Modular. The sources do not define the manufacturing meaning of “ironspot,” so the term is best treated here as part of the specified brick’s name rather than as a general technical explanation.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhat is a sawtooth roof monitor?
A sawtooth roof uses a repeated series of raised roof forms that create a jagged profile. At the Taubman Wing, the source specifically notes that the brick bond at these monitors changes to vertical running courses that make repeated V shapes.
Who designed the Taubman College wing?
The masonry interview names Integrated Design Solutions as architect of record and Preston Scott Cohen, Inc. as design partner. The sources describe their respective digital design and coordination work, but do not assign every individual design decision to one firm.
What brick was used on the Taubman Wing?
The MCAA interview identifies it as Endicott Clay Products Dark Ironspot Smooth Modular brick. It does not provide pricing, a consumer ordering route or a full product specification.
How large was the addition, and what did the project cost?
Integrated Design Solutions reports a 37,220-square-foot addition and a $34.6 million project cost. MASONRY Magazine reports a 37,000-square-foot addition and describes a $28.5 million renovation. The sources also give different renovation-area figures and do not explain the scope or accounting differences, so the numbers should not be treated as directly comparable totals.
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