Brickwork

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about brickwork

Project • By andre kong studioPrivate Houses

Stepped Loft

Andre Kong Studio has extended a Victorian terraced house in southeast London by extruding a series of stepped brick volumes hosting a new bedroom, study and bathroom.  Luke O'Donovan The brief emerged out of two significant post-lockdown changes for the family: the arrival of another child and a shift to permanently working from home. Suddenly the family were outgrowing their house and needed more space and a refuge from the rest of the busy youth-filled household. Luke O'Donovan   Echoing the original plan of the house, the massing follows its L-shape, breaking down an otherwise imposing mass. This is achieved with volumes that step down like a telescope, pulling out of each other, articulating clerestories for ligh... More

Project • By Robert A.M. Stern ArchitectsApartments

150 E. 78th

150 East 78th Street, a 16-story limestone-trimmed brick apartment house, grows out of New York's great tradition of Upper East Side residential buildings rooted in the expressive use of Classical proportions and detailing. 150 East 78th Street is designed to participate in the pedestrian-scale neighborhood fabric, with rusticated and tooled Indiana limestone rising to a denticulated cornice above the first-floor windows. Along Lexington Avenue, dark charcoal gray metal-and-glass shopfronts, detailed with slender colonettes supporting an abstracted Classical entablature, punctuate the facade. On 78th Street, the character of the fenestration changes, with narrow but tall windows picking up the rhythm of the residential side-street. Capti... More

NewsSpecification • 26 Sep 2023

10+1 cultural buildings with striking brick envelopes

For millennia, brick has been used in the construction of buildings across the world. Brick architecture is a style that continues to flourish, due largely to the endearing, traditional qualities of brick. The material has stood the test of time and is a popular choice of building envelope, playing a key role in regulating energy efficiency. In a warm climate, for example, a building’s design might incorporate an openwork brick curtain. There are countless types of brick made in many different ways by both hand and machine. Manufacturing techniques vary, from the popular wirecut method (where bricks are made using a process of extrusion), to thrown and pressed bricks. Brick is extremely durable, something that appeals to architects,... More

NewsDetail • 18 May 2023

Detail: Red brick and vaulted ceilings scrum together in the International Rugby Experience

The International Rugby Experience is an ambitious cultural project by London-based Níall McLaughlin Architects, built to honor the worldwide game of rugby. Located in the Irish city of Limerick (considered “the spiritual home of rugby”), the project embodies the ability of sport and architecture to revitalize a community. Nick Kane Níall McLaughlin Architects places a firm emphasis on the inventive use of building materials, and on the importance of the relationship between a building and its surroundings. These factors were pertinent to the planning and development of the International Rugby Experience, a project that was constructed over five years and completed in 2022. From the exterior, the 7-story... More

Project • By Engel ArchitectenPrivate Houses

Clear lines in the forest

On a beautiful forest plot on the outskirts of Hilversum, this modern bungalow is hidden among the tall trees. With its simplicity of clear lines, the design contrasts nicely with the surrounding landscape. The forest runs right up to the facade, putting one in direct contact with the surroundings. The large glass surfaces make you feel being part of nature, where the large overhangs give a sense of privacy. Additonally they keep out direct sunlight in the summer months, where in the winter they allow sunlight to reach deep into the home. Stijn Poelstra Sun orientation plays an important role in the design. Each space is optimally situated in realtion to the position of the sun. For example, the master bedroom faces to the north-east... More

Project • By Jackson Clements Burrows ArchitectsApartments

Howard West Residences

Howard West presents an inviting collection of residences in one of Melbourne’s most vibrant inner-city locations. Derek Swalwell From an architectural point of view, it offers a series of unexpected spaces. Like a hidden garden or a private world, the lofts and apartments are set behind the building’s original brickwork. Derek Swalwell This sense of enclosure is unique in such an urban environment, providing a quiet living space on the edge of the city. Derek Swalwell The heritage walls also create a unique terrace for many residences – a space of sanctuary with a range of views between the outside wall and the interior living areas. Derek Swalwell Howard West is highly considered in every way, fro... More

Project • By Jackson Clements Burrows ArchitectsHousing

Divided House

Prior to designing this home, Jon and Elisa Clements were acutely aware of their surroundings, having lived in the street for eight years. Jon was also mindful that as their lives continue to change, the house might need to change as well, and it was planned with a divided program allowing for potential future subdivision into two separate dwellings. John Gollings The house is divided into two primary brick building forms placed at the front and rear of the site, responding to differing streetscapes and associated heritage considerations. The two forms are linked by a single storey ‘lean-to’ functioning as the gravitational centre of the home. Embracing the north-facing courtyard and garden, this meeting point accommodates... More

Project • By WR-APHousing

Dainton Cottage

An extension by Richmond based architects practice WR-AP revitalises an early 20th century ‘Arts and Crafts’ style cottage, marrying traditional design with sleek modern architecture to create a light filled living space that remains sympathetic to the charm of the property’s original features.  Caption Caption The intention was to renovate the existing cottage to a high standard, whilst retaining its character and the best of the original attributes, along with the addition of a new double storey living space. The extension strives to compliment the cottage through the use of traditional building techniques along with “The deliberate use of exposed raw materials such as concrete, brick, timber and co... More

NewsNews • 27 Aug 2021

Spaarndammerhart housing project evokes Amsterdam School tradition with rich brickwork

In the Spaarndammerbuurt of Amsterdam, an early twentieth-century neighborhood rich with social housing in the Amsterdam School tradition, Korth Tielens architecten in collaboration with Marcel Lok_architect completed a contemporary interpretation of a housing block in the same tradition. Luuk Kramer The housing block replaces the former Spaarndammer school. A building that broke with the urban layout of the neighborhood. The Spaarndammerhart restores the original urban fabric by implementing an inner courtyard and reconnecting an inner street. Max Hart Nibbrig The rich masonry refers to the exemplary Amsterdam School buildings like het Schip, that is located around the corner. The block wrapped around the courtyard is clad with... More

Project • By MIKE EDWARDS ARCHITECTUREHousing

Ardross House

Mike Edwards Architecture were commissioned for a full architectural service for this project. This two storey, 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home has generous sized rooms including a large upper floor retreat and terrace with views to Perth city skyline to the north. The north facing yard includes a retained existing swimming pool, lawn area and landscaping. A large modern open plan kitchen, living, dining area opens on to a covered patio. The double volume entry stair hall features a steel and timber stair with a two storey stone clad wall and frameless glass details. More

Project • By cba Christian Bauer & Associes ArchitectesApartments

THE EPIC

The neighbourhood in which THE EPIC is located was originally characterised only by single-family homes. Today, the building is surrounded by an urban density of residential buildings. The scales of the existing houses and the new buildings collide. THE EPIC, although it provides 9 units of different sizes, contrasts with this problem in its villa-like appearance. With its articulated volumes and differentiated window openings, the building gives more the image of a family house rather than an apartment building. The refinement of the architecture is continued in the outer skin, from the detail of the window to the materiality of the brickwork. Again, the scale has been refined by the texture and colour of the thin tile. The resul... More

Project • By Orange ArchitectsOffices

Westerdok

Orange Architects has designed four of the fourteen building volumes – 1, 2, 9, 10 – that make up the central block on the Westerdok Island in Amsterdam. This perimeter block is composed of various volumes grouped around a large central space called the Cour.   The volumes vary in height from three to eleven storeys, and an underground car park extends under the whole development. The volume overlooking the IJ waterway varies in height from seven to eleven storeys and contains 111 apartments and 1,500 m2 of office space. The volumes on the Westerdok side contain 36 apartments and a gatehouse. This tower is eleven floors tall and contains four apartments per floor on levels 0-6 and two apartments per floor on levels 7-10.... More

Project • By Contell-Martínez ArquitectosCultural Centres

NEW CULTURAL HALL . VALENCIA (SPAIN)

The Project aims to transform an old railway warehouse into a cultural facility within the new Valencia’s Central Park which nowadays covers the old railway tracks of the main city station. The shed was built in 1917 by Demetrio Ribes and it is a valuable example within the railway architecture of Valencia.    The design allows maximum flexibility of use so different activities can happen simultaneously while respecting the industrial character of the building.   The shed is divided into five bays, which will geometrically guide the project. This structural rhythm, as well as the possibility of developing two levels in height, are fundamental for the proposal.   The building has two entries. The front one, fo... More

Project • By depaolidefranceschibaldan architettiApartments

casa BB

The project starts with the restoration of a prestigious historical building located in the center of Padua.   The apartment developes on two levels, a ground floor accessible from the street and another, at river level, which was brought to light after a complex phase of archaeological excavation.   This allowed to underline the strong historical connotation of the unit by discovering and enhancing those signs that determined its current conformation. In this context, the design elements, composed of simple material volumes in steel and stone containing respectively the service block and the kitchen space, are discreetly and harmoniously integrated. More

Project • By Jade ArchitectenPrivate Houses

Stacked House

The design for stacked house is part of a small-scale housing development in Berkel and Rodenrijs. Building plot number 4 is one of the 5 plots in the development.   This plot is special because of its positioning in relation to the other plots. Both the front and the back side offer an entrance to the plot. The connection between the two entrances is the starting point for the design of the house. In addition, there are urban development conditions that influence the design.   An example is that the front facade must not be wider than 10 meters. The result is a stacked volume where the first floor is turned compared to the ground floor. A large overhang of the cantilevered floor marks the entrance of the house, connecting the two entrances... More