Trendstone Case Study – Collector’s House (Charlotte, NC)

Collector's House
Charlotte, North Carolina

For 30 years, the couple who commissioned this project had lived in and around the endless red-brick boxes that make up the suburbs of Charlotte, NC. Ready to reinvent what life in Charlotte meant to them, they enlisted architect Lindsay Smith to help them create a new twist on the Charlotte standard.

"They wanted to make it modern and light, but retain the elements they love about brick," said Smith. "I chose Trendstone because it offered a brick-like proportion and tactile pattern, but with unexpected lightness of color. We used 4" x 16" blocks to give it a more residential scale than a standard CMU."

To hold onto the spirit of brick's intimate connection with the earth, zinc panels were chosen to wrap the upper volume, adding lightness and texture to the heavier concrete "brick" base. Energy efficiency was also a factor throughout the design process and material selection. North-facing Oldcastle glass minimizes the impact of the direct sun, while overhangs shield the east and west-facing glass. The project also used reflective roof materials and a masonry cavity wall to provide a tight well-insulated building envelope.

Product: Trenwyth® Trendstone® - Manchester
Architect: Lindsay Smith, AIA LEED AP - New York, NY
General Contractor: Philip Thomas Construction - Charlotte, NC
Masonry Contractor: Griffin Masonry - Charlotte, NC

Featured Product >> Trenwyth® Trendstone®

Trenwyth TRENDSTONE ground-face masonry units are integrally colored architectural concrete blocks with one or more faces ground to expose the variegated colors of natural aggregates. Specially designed to resist moisture and efflorescence, TRENDSTONE is available in multiple shapes and sizes, including half-sized units, oversized units, metric units, ADA compliant round-edged units, and high strength units needed to meet specific structural requirements. TRENDSONE saves time and money by providing finished load-bearing or non-load-bearing walls in a single trade, one-step application.

TRENDSTONE provides the utmost in design flexibility and is available in a multitude of regional color options, utilizing local aggregates to assure that each project complements and mimics the local landscape. TRENDSTONE is also available in ACOUSTA-WAL® sound-absorbing units that are uniquely designed to absorb sound waves at all frequencies, even the difficult-to-control low frequencies.