Slipcover (architecture)

In architecture, a slipcover is a modification of an older building facing by adding a new ornamental layer.

The slipcover was a popular treatment in the United States after World War II, as early twentieth-century building styles had fallen out of fashion. Constructing a slipcover with a contemporary design over an existing building was a less expensive alternative to tearing down and building anew.[1] Sometimes attachments of the slipcover caused damage to the original facings. At other times, slipcovers have protected the original facings from deterioration.[2]

Slipcovers are used on structures. "Slipcovered buildings are those structures whose facade have been sheathed in a newer material which partially or completely masks the original"[3]

1. Architecture WikiProject