Top Projects Showcased In Latest Brick Bulletin

The new edition of Brick Bulletin is out – and it features some astounding projects from around the world. Each story dramatically demonstrates the scope of brick and the qualities that have for so long made it a favourite among architects, developers and the public. Among the case studies, there is an eye-catching spatial housing complex in Tokyo, an Australian nursing complex clad in ‘timber’ planks, and a wine factory built by robot bricklayers. Each study is illustrated with stunning photography and architectural elevations. The new edition also features latest news and technical developments in the industry. “Brick Bulletin is all about showcasing all that’s best in brick, ” says executive editor Katherina Lewis. “This edition features projects from across Europe, to Japan and Australia. It’s a traditional building material right on the cutting edge of innovative design.” Brick Bulletin is published by the Brick Development Association. It’s widely regarded as the industry bible, and has been around since 1947. It’s recently been redesigned, to give it a fresher, more accessible design – one that gives far greater scope to see brick in action. Among the project highlights of the Autumn edition:

• A nursing complex in Victoria, south-east Australia that looks more like a beachfront hotel than a hospital. The secret is the use of ‘patterned’ planks, created by using smooth and timber-grained bricks developed with computer modelling and three-dimensional lathes.
• The critical role played by brick in reviving a Dutch neighbourhood destroyed eight years ago by an explosion in a fireworks factory. The De-Eekenhof development features specially curved bricks to give the building an almost sculpture-like quality.
• Housing for keyworkers on the edge of Finsbury Park, North London. The design by Sergison Bates provides a sense of solidity and permanence as a reaction to the paper-thin expression of much housing of this type in the UK.
• The Surrey vernacular expressed in brick on a pair of village houses. The texture and grain of the village continues on this infill site.
• An enigmatic housing development in Tokyo. The Seijo townhouses could be read as a single block or a collection of individual houses. Architect Kazuyo Sejma opted for long, thin red bricks, which were then soaked prior to firing, to give them a warm pink tone.
• And that robot-built winery. The robotic system laid 20, 000 bricks at the Gantenbein vineyard in Switzerland. It’s designed to represent stacked grapes, but also provides solar shading and a stable temperature for fermentation.
Brick Bulletin also takes a look at the architects, past and present, who have made such an impact on the built environment through their work in brick. Among the profiles:
• Short & Associate’s Alan Short, an award-winning architect and academic responsible for a distinctive portfolio of work around the world. He’s at the forefront of the sustainability movement; his buildings are often reported as research experiments. Short is also a committed exponent of brick, which he sees as a key component of the English tradition and designing buildings ‘that you can leave outdoors’.
• An exploration of the work of Uruguayan architect Eladio Dieste. His portfolio includes audacious large span industrial buildings, private houses and churches. He combines brick with the vaulting techniques of Catalan architecture and prestressed concrete techniques – to dramatic effect.

The latest edition also includes a simple yet comprehensive guide to the principles of fire design in masonry structure, from the BDA’s resident engineer Dr Ali Arasteh. It also highlights recent research on the subject.

The Autumn issue of Brick Bulletin is available through the BDA’s new-look website www.brick.org.uk. The site is packed with information, and provides a showcase for brick, recent projects and a resource for the successful design and specification of brickwork. Brick Bulletin can be downloaded or you can register to receive a regular hard copy.