Brick Design & Innovation - Wienerberger CPD Knowledge Builder

Products > Brick

RIBA Core Curriculum
- Design, construction and technology

Knowledge level
- General Awareness

Almost everyone knows that brick is one of mankind’s oldest and most durable building materials. Maybe that is the reason why it is sometimes overlooked in ‘modern’ architecture, despite its countless creative design possibilities.

In this section
- Brick sizes, formats and inventive uses
- Mortar and the impact it has
- Special bricks and their characteristics
- Examples of creative projects

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

BDInnovation_49 — Brick size has become a key aesthetic choice in achieving an alternative look and feel.

BDInnovation_50 — Standard metric brick size adopted in 1970’s.

Imperial size bricks made in the late 19th/early 20th century were larger than modern bricks and are therefore still made for restoration purposes.

Demand is growing for formats that differ from standard UK dimensions.

Size Formats

Standard UK size 215 x 102.5 x 65mm
73mm bricks available for coursing in with old imperial 2 7/8 size bricks
Smeed Dean Imperial – 228 x 108 x 68mm
European size formats – e.g. Waalformat (WF) 210 x 100 x 50
Roman – from 440mm to 511mm long

BDInnovation_51 — Robie House, Chicago, 1910, Frank Lloyd Wright

Regarded as the greatest example of his ‘Prairie’ style.

Roman module bricks were used to emphasise the horizontal.

Cream coloured mortar was used on the horizontal joints and the small vertical joints were filled with a mortar colour that matched the brick.

BDInnovation_52 — Bricks don’t have to be laid in their usual orientation.

BDInnovation_53 — Primary School, Rotterdam
Kees Christiaanse, KCAP

Here the bricks have been laid in an alternative orientation expressing the frog, which would normally be hidden, to create a unique pattern and texture on the façade.

BDInnovation_54 — 55 Gee Street, London
Munkenbeck + Partners

The award-winning Gee Street project in Clerkenwell, London showcases both the eye-catching aesthetic and also innovative qualities of bricks.

The brick was chosen because of its resemblance to Mediterranean terracotta wall blocks, which in northern Italy are used to make perforated walls for feed drying barns.

BDInnovation_55 — 55 Gee Street, London
Munkenbeck + Partners

Bricks laid on their side to create a perforated façade aiding the buildings ventilation. This is a truly creative way to allow for natural ventilation.

BDInnovation_56 — Openable panels on the inside wall allow the air to flow in. Alongside mechanical ventilation solutions it also means the building neither requires cooling or heating whilst the outside temperature is between 0 and 28 degrees.

BDInnovation_57 — Mortar colours and joint profiles can have a dramatic effect on the appearance of brickwork.

BDInnovation_58 — Mortar accounts for 17% of the visible brickwork (dependant on bond pattern) and the colour chosen can change the look of a wall considerably.

BDInnovation_59 — The mortar joint profile has a significant impact on the aesthetics of a wall.

It also plays an important part in the overall weather resistance of brickwork so the choice of joint profile used should be based on technical performance requirements as well as appearance.

BDInnovation_60 — Morjan – Poeten House, Germany
Nikolaus Bienefeld

Archaic simplicity.

Demonstrates how well brick architecture can fit into rural areas.

BDInnovation_61 — Unless you are designing a very simple and dull building you will always need specials to finish and bond your design.

Involve the manufacturer early to help you get the most out of specials and limit the need for purpose made specials that increase cost.

BDInnovation_62 — British Standard 4729:1990 contains a wide range of special shaped units arranged in groups by basic description. With 235 variations included, traditional details can be achieved, but modifications to basic dimensions, angles and facing requirements of specials are often required to create particular detailing.

BDInnovation_63 — Where standard special shapes cannot meet the requirements of the project design, purpose made specials can be manufactured. A wide range of shapes and angles can be manufactured from each of the different manufacturing processes. Each factory does have its limitations to what can be made but our Design Services team can advise on what is practical with each product.

BDInnovation_64 — Contemporary Methods of Construction

Prefabrication, brick slips systems and modern masonry support methods provide a brickwork solution to any design.

They give you the ability to achieve very innovative design and detailing using brickwork.

BDInnovation_65 — Brick Faced Soffits

Engineered brick slip soffit panels are lightweight, quick to install and can be pointed afterwards to match the facing brickwork.

BDInnovation_66 — Brick-Clad GRP Construction

Rustic, tumbled bricks were used to create some unique features including a brick vaulted roof, one metre deep window reveals and an extraordinary south facing brick domed niche.

Bricks bonded onto a fibreglass carrier for the vaulted brickwork. A lightweight and fast solution while still achieving the appearance of standard brickwork.

Pictured: Thames Reach Employment Academy , London
Peter Barber

BDInnovation_67 — Panelised Construction

Panelised construction gives the ability for offsite panels to be manufactured and then lifted into position on site. They can be very fast methods for construction and can help create the likes of the popular stack bond easily in factory controlled conditions

BDInnovation_68 — Brick Cladding Systems

Corium utilises an extruded tile sized as UK brickwork to clip mechanically into an HPS 200 Ultra rail, 3 times quicker than brickwork and needing no adhesives as other slip systems do, Corium is an option that should be considered for fast track contemporary structures

Pictured: St Ambrose College, Hale Barns, Greater Manchester
Sheppard Robson

BDInnovation_69 — Brick Slips

Brick slips provide the desirable finish of real brickwork in situations where using full bricks may not be possible.

Maintain the look of real brickwork.

Suitable for soffits, arch sets, prefabricated elements, internal use.

Slip returns also available for corners and reveals.

Can be cut to required thickness. Recommended minimum 20mm for traditional stock brick types. 15mm for extruded brick types.

Adhesive bonded to backing material.

BDInnovation_70 — Freedom of Creative Expression

We will now look at a number of case studies that explore how brick has been used to overcome different issues facing the specifier and also how brick can be used in new, fresh and innovative ways.

BDInnovation_71 — Curves

Pictured: The Curving House, Korea
JOHO Architecture

The curvy building is the architect's response to the topography of the area.

Most of the building is clad in light grey bricks.

BDInnovation_72 — The southern façade features alternating brick courses: a traditionally laid course that traces the curve of the facade is followed by a course in which, starting from the middle of the facade, the bricks are given a progressively greater angle as they move away from the centre (from 1° to 25° going west and from 1° to 16° going east).

This results in a multifaceted surface.

BDInnovation_73 — Non-Standardised Brick Facade

Pictured: Gantenbein Vineyard Facade, Fläsch, Switzerland
Gramazio Kohler Architects

The masonry of the vineyard’s façade looks like an enormous basket filled with grapes. These circles/bubbles look initially to be created from different tones of brick but are indeed mounted within a frame at varying angles to use light and shade to create the illusion of shape

A robotic production method was developed enabling each one of the 20,000 bricks to be laid precisely at the desired angle and at the exact prescribed intervals.

BDInnovation_74 — The masonry acts as a temperature buffer, as well filtering the sunlight for the fermentation room behind it. The bricks are offset so that daylight penetrates the hall through the gaps between the bricks.

BDInnovation_75 — Ornamentation

Pictured: Brentwood School Sixth Form Centre & Assembly Hall
Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture

The architects considered the bold use of ornate and decorative brickwork vital to the success of their design. They drew their inspiration for the artistically ornamented brickwork façade from the existing vicarage and other buildings in the vicinity.

A brick façade with diamond diaper work in dramatic relief graces the exterior walls.

On the ground floor a similar pattern is achieved in two dimensions using the contrasting colours of two types of brick.

BDInnovation_76 — Harmonious use of Material

Pictured: State Parliament of the Principality of Liechtenstein
Hansjörg Göritz Architecture Studio

The materiality and consistency is truly enchanting, achieved through the use of exclusively yellow ochre brick which were used for both external and internal facades as well as paving the outdoor spaces.

680,000 specially customised bricks cover walls and ceilings from the underground garage to the conference room.

The warm light that reflects off the surfaces of the bricks creates a special atmosphere both inside and outside the buildings.

BDInnovation_78 — Spatial Brick Wall

Pictured: Kantana Film and Animation Institute
Bangkok Project Studio

The Film and Animation Institute was built of more than 600,000 hand-made bricks obtained from Thailand’s last brick-producing village.

The massive 8 metre high brick walls are punctured by openings at irregular intervals.

The play of light and shadow is not just for aesthetics and spatial understanding, but primarily for the microclimate and the passive cooling of the interior spaces.

Summary

BDInnovation_79

We have seen how:

Brick has developed from being a traditional, plain building material into an innovative, modern and adaptable material providing solutions for the entire building envelope.

Clay brick is a contemporary, sustainable and versatile natural building material, which can be used almost anywhere and for all architectural styles.

A broad selection of colours, formats and surface finishes in combination with different bond patterns and mortar colours allows countless possible designs.

Clay bricks almost last forever and retain their quality and beauty.

BDInnovation_80

Learning Outcomes

On completing this CPD you should have an understanding of the elements that can be used to create beautiful brick buildings:

Knowledge of the rich history and longevity of brick as a construction material.
A basic understanding of modern brick manufacturing processes and the characteristics of different products.
How different colours and textures are created and provide countless design options.

Learning Outcomes

On completing this CPD you should have an understanding of:

The different size formats available.
How choices of laying patterns, mortar colour and joint profile can influence the appearance of brickwork.
How special shaped bricks and contemporary methods of construction can be utilised to achieve brickwork design solutions.
Knowledge of a range of projects which showcase exciting, exceptional and innovative uses of brick.

Conclusion

There are many elements that architects can use to create beautiful brick buildings, the brick types, sizes, colours, textures, bond patterns and orientations, as well as mortar joints and profiles will all influence the over aesthetic, but it is the creativity of the designer that really defines a building.

Wienerberger Brick Awards

The Wienerberger Brick Award is an international award acknowledging outstanding brick architecture.

The competition promotes the aesthetic and functional assets that facing bricks, clay blocks, roof tiles and ceramic façade panels have to offer for contemporary architecture.

The use of Wienerberger products is not compulsory for participation!

BDInnovation_81 — Thank you!

Ask a Question about this CPD

CPD Q&A

You’ve reached the end of the CPD. To make sure you’ve taken on board the key learnings of this course, please fill out the quick multiple choice Q&A below. This will certify that you have completed the CPD and provide you with an email certificate, which, if the course is accredited, you can share with RIBA.

Question

Which of these is not a standard mortar joint profile

Flush Bucket handle Recessed Waterstruck

CORRECT

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next CPD question.

INCORRECT

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RECAP

Question

British Standard 4729:1990 contains how many variations of special shaped bricks?

350 172 235 98

CORRECT

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next CPD question.

INCORRECT

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