The Smith Apartments

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The Smith is a 650-unit upscale housing complex in Boston’s South End, one of the most significant residential projects to break ground in the city’s history. With a total of 11 floors, the tenants of The Smith rely heavily on the building’s elevators for daily use. To satisfy this need, Draper Elevator Interiors partnered with CBT Architects to design, fabricate, and install the four cab interiors. The wire mesh elevator panels crafted from Banker Wire’s DS-2 in stainless steel are a key component of this design.

“With no dedicated freight elevator, the facility needed a material that could withstand the constant demand of moving furniture and still maintain the high-end appearance for the residents. Few products can offer those qualities; therefore, we chose Banker Wire,” states Tyler Chauncey of Draper Elevator Interiors.

Ceiling-high wire mesh elevator panels clad three of the cab’s walls. The stainless steel finish chosen matches the elevator’s fourth wall and surrounding trim, as well as the details in the building’s lobby.  This material is highly reflective, causing the flat faces of DS-2 to shine. The highlights of the wire mesh create a striking lighting effect when illuminated from above.

The dark lower section of the walls further emphasizes this luster. Seated below the wire mesh, glossy black panels add contrast to the stainless steel of the cab. Though darker, the polished finish of this material gives the impression of a larger space. The combination of the intense black with the wire mesh elevator panels embodies the modern aesthetic of the housing complex.

Banker Wire’s DS-2 is a tightly woven wire mesh pattern, appearing visually opaque. With a 0% open area, the high density makes it an excellent choice from cladding applications such as the elevators at The Smith.