Neiman Marcus/Home Depot

Neiman Marcus makes a memorable first impression in Natick, Mass., with a bold and dramatic facade. The undulating, patterned stainless-steel exterior is evocative of a silk scarf billowing in coastal breezes. To create the simple and elegant flowing-fabric form, alternately inverted geometric cones were placed adjacent to each other around the perimeter of the building’s exterior. The pattern on the skin was designed to reinforce the flowing nature of the building’s form, and the metal panels, were textured and beadblasted to create a soft, silk-like sheen when sunlight hits the surface.

The Home Depot leverages its signature brand elements to turn the entire facade of its store in Jersey City, N.J., into a powerful visual statement. The chain’s familiar orange hue and sign extends to 50-ft. rhythmic wing-like forms in an angled, sawtoothed footprint of scalloped, corrugated-metal panels constructed on stainless-steel frames and composite decks. Panels fan out on the building face and create display windows via a glazed curtain-wall, allowing the store to showcase products to traffic flowing in and out of the nearby Lincoln Tunnel.