What is Box Modern Design and How to Spot Box Modern Facades

How to Spot Box Modern Design

Curves, slanted roofs, ornamentation. All general indicators that a facade is not a box modern. Despite the fact a lot of facades may be boxy in nature, one of the key elements of a box modern facade is its lack of any additional ornamentation. If you’re looking at a facade and wondering if it’s box modern, the first thing you should check is that there are no other forms of traditional facade geometry. Another key aspect to consider, whether it’s a mid-century modern facade or a box modern, is whether it features horizontal planes. Box Modern design will rarely feature planes. 

Boxes 

Box Modern homes typically feature multiple interlocking or offset box-like forms, most commonly rectangles or squares. These volumes may be cantilevered, stacked, or bridged, creating dynamic facades with depth and shadow. Sometimes, Box Modern may not even feature multiple boxes; many single-story Box Modern facades excel in their simplicity, being just one box. 

Additional Features of Box Modern

There are a few non-box features that often appear in most box modern designs. Pillars and support structures are commonly used to create structural integrity for box modern designs that overhang their environment or themselves. Additionally, floor-to-ceiling windows are a common element in Box Modern, which effectively reinforces the modernist element of Box Modern design. Lastly, you may notice vertical timber cladding, which adds texture and contrast to the windows while still maintaining a low-profile and minimalist aesthetic at its core.

Box Modern Facade Checklist

Whilst it would be unfair to scorecard this design style, see if you can match the Rectangular or Square Boxes at the top of the list with any of the other items in this checklist. 

• Rectangular or Square Boxes
• Low Ornamentation 
• Vertical Wooden Cladding
• Floor to Ceiling Windows
• Pillars of Environmental Overhang

Despite being highlighted as one of James Hardie’s up-and-coming facade design styles for 2024, most home builders don’t offer box modern homes. Here at IMSU, we’ve been designing box modern facades all across Inner West Sydney and the Northern Beaches. However, if you’re reading this from elsewhere in the country, your best opportunity would be to consult an architect and use some of the examples from this article as a reference.