The Alfred

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT

SUMMARY

The Alfred was among the early projects on Tennyson Street that established the design standard the corridor is now known for. At a time when the neighborhood was pushing back hard against poorly conceived infill that turned its back on the street, MmD Architecture made a different choice, engaging the sidewalk, addressing the pedestrian, and building something the community could point to as an example of how it should be done.

The design anchors each building in dark red modular face brick in running bond, warm and precise in equal measure, its weight and permanence giving the street a material seriousness that the corridor demanded. Metal panel introduces a lighter, more precise secondary volume alongside the brick, the two materials in deliberate dialogue, brick as mass and warmth, metal panel as contrast and precision, a compositional relationship that organizes the facade without relying on ornament. Painted steel canopies with wood soffits project boldly at the entry level, their warm wood faces glowing against the dark steel frame and casting deep shadow across the brick below. That detail is the signature element of the building at street level, a moment of craft and warmth that rewards the pedestrian who stops to look.

Ground level patios extend each unit toward the sidewalk, reinforcing the street engagement at the heart of the brownstone tradition. Large format glazing draws natural light into each unit and sustains the connection to the street from every floor, while roof decks at the third level add private outdoor space with views across the Berkeley roofscape. A taller vertical element at the end unit rises above the main roofline, brick and metal panel in dialogue with a cantilevered canopy above, giving the building a strong and considered terminus on the street.

The Alfred is MmD Architecture’s fifth project on the Tennyson Street corridor. Along with other MmD projects on the street, it has been referenced in local design standards as an example of the design quality and material character the corridor expects of new development.