Suburban sprawl promotes a cookie-cutter approach to commercial as well as residential development, creating successions of similar buildings—whether they happen to be stores, banks, restaurants, places of worship, doggy-daycare centers, or offices. Everything fits into a strip mall. Commissioned to design a two-story mixed-use structure, with retail on the ground and a dermatology clinic above, the Winnipeg firm 5468796 Architecture aimed to transcend the humble building type. Instead of a flimsy curtain wall or tilt-up construction, the architects specified poured-in-place concrete, and added depth to the building’s facade with recessed storefronts and large balconies at the corners of the upper story. A band of concrete panels precast with a strongly textured corduroy pattern obscures the lower portion of the second floor, creating a sense of mystery about what happens behind it. You may not recognize this as a medical facility, but you immediately know it’s not like anything else around it.