51243946-25-Spring-2006

Critical massMasonry’s role in the zero fossilenergy BowZed project

Inside jobHow to specify interior brickworkthat stays looking good

CREAM CRACKERRussell Jones’ dramatic intervention in a Victorian terrace in Bayswater

Published for the Brick Development Association

BRICKBulletin SPRING 2006

Heritage lobbyThe National Trust’s brick-clad HQ by Feilden Clegg Bradley

Sigurd Lewerentz stands out among hismodernist contemporaries in his preferencefor masonry over steel and glass. JamesCampbell, author of Brick, A World History,says: ‘What Lewerentz saw in the brick that noone else had seen fit to express before was theprimacy of the module.’

For Lewerentz (1885-1975), cutting brickswas anathema. At the Church of St Peter atKlippan, Sweden (1963-66), there is not asingle cut brick in the entire building,completed when the architect was 81. Andbecause he wanted each brick to read as asingle entity, they were laid in stretcher bond.‘To make such a system work,’ says Campbell,‘he had to set the bricks in thick joints whichcould vary in size. The (lime) mortar wasspread roughly and loosely over the bricksand scraped off, giving a flush joint.’

Walls, floor and vaulted ceiling are in thesame uniform standard brick. Even the altarand clergy seating are in brick, resulting inwhat Campbell calls a ‘bunker-like’ intensity.

Hero

Brick: A World History, by James W P Campbell and Will Pryce, is published by Thames & Hudson, £39.95

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The brick effect

I hope you like thenew Brick Bulletin. Ithas been redesigned

to appeal to an even wider audience and will,as ever, strive to highlight the very best incontemporary brickwork as well as identifyingthe latest trends. One of these is the newintellectual rigour that is being applied tobrickwork, particularly from the cutting edgepractices we feature in this issue. FeildenClegg Bradley, Russell Jones and SergisonBates are developing their own rationalapproaches that are both satisfying andthought-provoking. An integral part of this‘new wave’ is the renaissance of interest inbrick as an internal finish.

In parallel to these developments is thegrowing realisation that thermal mass canbetter equip buildings to cope with globalwarming, as BDA-ZEDfactory’s BowZed shows(see page 12). We should not forget that brick,with its centuries-long lifespan, very lowmaintenance and potential for reuse, is one ofthe most sustainable materials we have andhas been tried and tested over a very longtime. No wonder young architects are startingto discover it. To them – and to all those whohave rediscovered brick – we say welcomeaboard. It is going to be a stimulating ride.

Michael Driver, director Brick Development Association

A new party wall construction makes it possible tosatisfy the acoustic requirements of Part E of theBuilding Regulations without sacrificing theaesthetic benefits of a fair-faced brickwork finish.

The regulations stipulate that brick party wallsmust be plastered on either side to ensure adequateacoustic separation. However, this breakthroughobviates the need for plastering.

Stoke-based CERAM Building Technology hasconducted exhaustive tests on the method on

behalf of the BDA. The system consists of twoparallel leaves of brickwork separated by a

50mm cavity that is filled with masonrymortar as work proceeds. The mortar

binds the leaves together withoutthe need for wall ties. CERAM’s

Geoff Edgell, who is overseeing thetests, said: ‘The result has exceeded all

expectations. The construction shows a soundreduction of 51dB compared with the regulation

requirement of 45dB.’ BDA director Michael Driveradded: ’This shows it is possible to meet Part Ewithout foregoing the aesthetic, maintenance-freeand robust nature of fair-faced brickwork. The wall iseasy to erect and will give consistent performancebecause it does not rely on a sandwich of differentmaterials to meet the regulations.’

The next step is to attain Robust Standard Detailstatus for the construction. This entails beingsuccessfully tested at 30 locations.

Party wall breakthroughNew construction method meetsacoustic regs without plastering

Standards updateBSI has published two amended standards that willaffect the specification of brick.

BS EN 771-1 (Specification for masonry units.Clay masonry units) with 2005 amendments is afurther step in the establishment of harmonisedEuro standards. Published in November, the long-awaited document has now completelyreplaced BS 3921:1985 (Specification for claybricks) which was withdrawn on 1 April 2006.

In a parallel development last December, BSI published the three latest amended sections of BS 5628: 2005 (Code of practice for the use of masonry). For further information, go to www.bsi-global.com

Editor George Demetri Co-ordinating editor Eleanor Young Production editor Gail Novelle Design Cook Design ISSN 0307-9325

Leader

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News

Sergison Bates shows (and tells) how it’s done‘Brick-work: thinking and making’ is the title of both a book and an exhibitiondocumenting recent building projects by London-based Sergison Bates Architects(www.sergisonbates.co.uk). Both projects are sponsored by the BDA. The slick, blackhardback (gta Zurich, November 2005, £25) highlights the practice’s concepts and workon the use and effects of brick construction. The accompanying exhibition featurescase studies of realised projects and competition entries from 1996 to 2005.Construction drawings and concept models are used to explore the spatial potential ofbrick construction and its influence on how the building is perceived. The exhibitionruns from 5 May to 8 June at the RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London W1. For furtherdetails call 020 7580 5533. The book is available from the RIBA Bookshop (020 72510791) and the AA’s Triangle Bookshop (020 7631 1381).

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BRICKWORK GUIDE NOW OUT INNEW EDITION

The third edition of the BDA’s Guide toSuccessful Brickwork is now out.Although aimed at constructionstudents, the 242-page book is equallysuited to professionals who want anauthoritative reference for designing,detailing and specifying brickwork.

Dependable and accurate, this latestedition is in line with most British andEuropean standards, including BS EN771-1 – the European Standard for claybrick. It has sections on preparationand protection, bricklaying techniques,

good practice and accessories. A newchapter on innovation details theproducts and processes the UK brickindustry has developed to suit modernconstruction methods, such asprefabrication and thin-joint techniquesfor both brickwork and blockwork.

Based on teaching experience, theguide is packed with photographs andclear isometric diagrams to provide aneasily digestible representation ofassembly methods.

The guide is available from the BDAfor £20.49 incl p+p. For more details,call 01344 885651.

Herts is trumpsThis striking, low energy house in southHertfordshire attempts to create a 21st centuryvernacular by combining cutting edgetechnologies with local crafts and skills. ArchitectDavid Kirkland + Associates’ sustainable designwas inspired by natural forms.

Red clay brick and roof tiles clad a super-insulated ‘hybrid’ timber structure of both greenand dry English oak and larch. Low energysolutions include passive solar design and aground source heat exchange system forheating, as well as wood burning fires and back-up underfloor heating.

With walls achieving 0.15W/m2K and the roofachieving 0.1W/m2K, it is calculated thebuilding’s CO2 heating emissions will be muchless than 9.9kg/m2 a year. A green roof and greywater recycling system complete its ecologicalcredentials. David Dexter and Associates was thestructural engineer and Ove Arup & Partners theenvironmental engineer.

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It all stacks up

Viewpoint

Ancient brick structures in Thailand inspired unashamedmodernist Ken Shuttleworth of make to take another look at the material he’d only ever specified once before.

As a child I was always buildingthings not only with toy bricks,but with real ones I found in thegarden. Maybe it helped inspireme to be an architect. Bricks seemto be the most fundamentalchild’s toy, as everybody ‘gets it’,even at a very young age.

Thirty-five years later Ienjoyed many hours playing withbricks with my own children.Bricks still have the ability tocapture a child’s imagination andcreate far-off worlds, even in theage of Play-Station.

Being asked to write a piece forthe brick industry was quite asurprise. I have been an architectfor 30 years but I am not knownfor my extensive use of bricks. Asfar as I can remember, though Ilearnt extensively of theirdetailing in my formative years ata small practice in Birmingham, Ihave so far only used them once,on a building in Southampton.

Here we explored the fact that

brick was being used as a non-structural facing material and weexpressed this by stack bondingthe courses. We supported thebricks in panels with visiblestainless steel frames to furtherdisplay that they were only afacing material.

I must confess this was onlymoderately successful, as we hadproblems trying to force theproduct in a direction it was notreally designed for. We spentmany an hour resolving problemsthat wouldn’t have existed if wehad gone back to the textbook.

After that experience Ireverted to my ‘comfort zone’ ofcurtain walling – until recently,that is. For most of my career Ihave been a participant incontinuing the modernmovement. This tried to suppressbrickwork, regarding it as an ‘arts& crafts material’ and thereforeirrelevant to the modern machineage. When brick was used, it had

to be perfectly laid, almost as if by machine, togive the appearance of a ‘modular andstackable system’, and a ‘machine aesthetic’.

Brick is not part of the fully automated,robotic world we all live in; it belongs to themore human side of construction – designedto fit in the hand, to be easily lifted and whenin place to give a feel of permanence throughthe sheer mass of material. In contrast to therelatively flimsy walls of modernism, brickgives substance to a building.

It is the most honest of materials and isconstruction at its simplest and purist form. It gives human scale, everyone recognises itand it is still the material of choice for homes,despite the ‘white stuff’ proposed bymodernism.

Building with brick is building in the mostdirect sense and is in harmony with theenvironment. Brick reflects the local geology,so it is so satisfying to tour an area and see thecolour of the soil reflected in people’s homes;it gives direct ties with a location.

On a visit to Thailand last summer, we wentto Ayutthaya, the former capital, which hassome amazing bell-shaped forms, perilouslyslender towers, images of Buddha structuresand temples – all built in brick. I wasabsolutely amazed that this very special place,over two centuries old, was built entirely inbrick. It was a fantastic demonstration of thematerial’s flexibility and longevity.

As a result of this experience and our moreexploratory approach, brick is enjoyingsomething of a comeback at make. At ourBaker Street project for London and Regional,

we are building amodern terrace 140mlong. It is probablythe only new mews tobe built on such ascale in recent historyand we are usingbrick structurallyfour storeys high. Tome, it is a far moresuitable use of thematerial than merelyas a facing panel. Thedetailing is tried and

tested and it expresses brick’s potential. Thebuilding is an unashamedly modern designbut the use of brick allows it to sit comfortablyin the historic fabric of Marylebone. Itcontinues the modern movement, but in amore flexible way. More importantly, as it willbecome people’s homes, everybody will ‘getit’, even a child.

‘Using brick meansour modernist mewswill sit comfortablyamid its historicsurroundings’

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RED ALERTProjections and overhangs are important elements in the work ofDutch practice Neutelings Riedijk Architecten. At this red brick firedepartment headquarters in Breda, the Netherlands, bricks are laidon their sides, creating an interesting pattern from the frog indentsthat are normally hidden. Laid in alternating vertical and horizontalpairs, the arrangement results in a basket-weave relief effect thathelps articulate the large expanses of brickwork. Completed 1999.

RECYCLING INITIATIVEThis parish hall in Hamburg, designedby Wacker Zeiger Architekten, is theresult of a competition win and featuresa distinctive glass centre framed bybrickwork. The left-hand panel is allnew bricks while the one on the right ismade of bricks recycled from thebuilding that formerly occupied the site.Completed 2001.

MIES’ LEGACYArchitect Quick Bäckmann Quick and Partnersspecified a high quality engineering brick for thisscheme of 26 detached and semi-detached homesin Berlin’s Wannsee district. Based on Mies vander Rohe’s brick houses, each house has its ownminimalist layout. Completed 2002.

Little and large, round or rectilinear,domestic, commercial or civic – there’s nosize, shape or building use that cannot beenhanced by well detailed brickwork, as thisround-up of European projects demonstrates.

Horsesfor courses

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In pictures

ON THE WATERFRONTDesigned by Kees Christiaanse/ASTOCArchitects, this vast brick monolith ofan office building has four wingsconnected by alternating ‘bridges’. Thiscreates an interesting arrangement ofinterior and exterior courtyards andforms an unmistakable landmark onHamburg’s burgeoning waterfront.Completed 2003.

NEVER A DULL MOMENTBricks in anthracite and aluminium greygive this office building in Eindhoven, theNetherlands, a shimmering exterior.Architect Koen van Velsen asked themanufacturer to create a special brickwith a metallic coating to lend lustre tothe facade, even on dull days. Completed2002.

DRAMA IN THE ALPSThe stark formality of this six-bedroom family home in Argau,designed by Frei Architekten AG,contrasts with its stunningsetting in the Swiss Alps. Itsstylish white-mortared, blackbrickwork not only wraps aroundthe timber structure but alsosupports the first-floor concreteslab. Completed 2000.

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Feilden Clegg Bradley’s striking new £10mcentral office for the National Trust inSwindon was generated by three principles: to be the most sustainable building possiblewithin the budget; to offer the best possiblework environment; and to provide the mostappropriate contextual response.

All three factors have been deftlycombined in the 7,300m2 brick-clad, steel-framed building which, with its references to the Victorian railway sheds of Brunel’sGreat Western Railway next door (nowconverted to other uses), has become alandmark itself.

Unusually, the roof largely determines thebuilding’s form. Saw-tooth rooflights, usedboth for north light and for accommodatingsouth-facing photovoltaic panels, are arrangeddiagonally across the trapezoidal plan. Thiscreates three gabled elevations that are built inStaffordshire blue brick.

National TrustSwindon

Case study

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In stark contrast, the colonnaded southfacade features extensive glazing with castaluminium grilles. This is the public side ofthe building and gives access to the shop and coffee bar.

The National Trust’s ethos required a widerange of sustainability features includingextensive use of photovoltaics, enhancedthermal insulation, automatic lighting controlsystems, wintertime mechanical ventilationand the use of lime mortar.

Exposed thermal mass in walls andfairfaced concrete soffits help mitigate solarheat gains, helped by natural ventilation and night cooling in the summer. Thedistinctive roof cowls promote both stack- and wind-driven ventilation.

As an inextricably linked element to theoverall sustainability strategy, the 442mmthick external wall construction achieves a U-value of just 0.2. It is comprised of 140mm

Curtain brickwork helps the National Trust’s new HQ scorehighly in the sustainability stakes. By George Demetri.

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thick internal concrete blockwork, renderedinternally to capitalise on the thermal mass; a200 mm cavity containing 150mm highperformance insulation; and 102mm thickexternal facing brickwork.

Feilden Clegg Bradley’s project director Jo Wright explains: ‘Overall, the brickworkhas been conceived as a rippling curtain that is punctuated by openings, indents andprojections. It responds to the polychromaticbrickwork of the adjacent railway sheds not by colour diversity but by manipulatingtexture and module size.’

The base plinth is smooth Staffordshireblue stretcher bond; the central zone is madeof reinforced, stack-bonded 215mm high clayblocks; and the gables revert to stretcher bond.To provide solar shading and glare reductionfor office areas, the architect devised precastcantilevered brick fins that are expressed inheather-coloured stack-bonded brickwork.

‘The brickwork has beenconceived as a ripplingcurtain punctuated by openings, indents andprojections.’

Pigmented lime mortar was specifiedbecause it drastically reduced the need formovement joints, blends well with thebrickwork and, as far as Wright is concerned,has a more interesting texture than cementmortar. Equally importantly, its minimalcement content will facilitate the futurerecycling of the bricks.

Sustainability lies at the heart of theNational Trust’s philosophy, so it must be wellpleased with this building. According toWright, the project ‘demonstrates thatsignificant improvements can be achievedover the performance of typical commercialbuildings built to similar budgets’.

This assessment is endorsed by its‘excellent’ Breeam rating and the fact that it is forecast to produce less than 20kg of carbondioxide per square metre each year. Withperformance like that, surely even Brunelhimself would have been impressed.

Client The National TrustArchitect Feilden Clegg BradleyProject manager Buro Four Project ServicesStructural engineer Adams Kara TaylorM&E Max Fordham PartnershipQS Davis LangdonBrickwork Glen Sims ContractorsMain contractor Moss Construction

For more details on this project, please ringthe BDA on 01344 885651.

Bayswater terraceWest London

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Architect Russell Jones Structural engineer Techniker Contractor Task Specialist ContractorsQS Measur

The creamy brickwork of this slim terrace infill is a challenge to thosewho think of it only as a ‘traditional’ material. By George Demetri.

For more details on this project, please ringthe BDA on 01344 885651.H

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Bayswater’s rather grandiose listed terraceshave a striking new neighbour. ArchitectRussell Jones has created an outstandingbuilding that, with few concessions to thevocabulary of its Victorian surroundings,achieves a contrast that is all the morememorable because it is executed almostentirely in delicious, creamy brickwork.

On one of the last undeveloped bomb sites in west London, Jones has shoehorned in a six-storey building that is no higher thanthe four-storey terrace next door. It containsthree two-bedroom maisonettes and fourcleverly intertwined stairs, with the mainstaircase establishing a processional routethrough the building.

The narrow frontage features littlebrickwork. Instead, a symmetricalarrangement of unusually generous double-glazed units alternates with light oak-facedshutters. Profiled precast members tied backto the slab express each floor level andcontinue the street cornicing.

The uppermost maisonette is set back toprovide a generous roof terrace. Thisapartment sports two enormous picturewindows, seemingly slapped on to the face ofthe brickwork rather than positioned intoopenings. Revealing no frame or other meansof support, the windows recall the simplydetailed brick churches of Danish architectsInger and Johannes Exner.

But the most dramatic element is thealmost cliff-like appearance of the gardenelevation. Stepped out to give each of thelower maisonettes its own terrace, the effect isof a brick fortress which is at once bothmedieval and contemporary.

‘I wanted to design a building rich inmaterial, simple in detail and direct inconstruction,’ Jones says. ‘The surroundingbuildings are predominantly cream-paintedstucco, Gault or London stock brick, so thisinfluenced my choice of an ivory brick with atextured surface.’

Used both inside and out, the textured,biscuit-coloured stock brick was laid with awhite, naturally hydraulic lime mortar andwhite sand. The unusually bold, 20mm widejoints are partly aesthetic and partly to obviatethe need for movement joints on flank wallsthat in places are 29m long and 17m high.Jones was influenced by early 19th centurywarehouses in London’s East End. Themonolithic, appealing result allows theexpression of every brick.

External flanking walls are mostly cavitybrickwork but there are also solid brickwork

Case study

areas to satisfy structural requirements.Insulation occurs at what the architect calls‘strategic’ locations, while lintels hardly occurat all. In their place, bed joint reinforcement isused above openings.

Internally, insitu floor slabs bear on solid, fair-faced loadbearing brick walls – not,as you might expect, built in Flemish orEnglish bond, but as two parallel skins ofreinforced stretcher bond. This all-embracingeffect, designed to extend the externalbrickwork aesthetic into the interiors, is

‘I wanted to design abuilding rich inmaterial, simple indetail and direct inconstruction.’

enhanced by the extensive use of brickflooring, created simply by laying the bricksfrog down.

Getting planning permission for theproject was not easy. But several years ofmeetings, committee presentations andinevitably, some design compromises, haveeventually produced a gem of a building.Number 14a Garway Road may be modest inits scope, but it should serve as a wake-up callto those who still think of brick only intraditional terms.

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The BowZed apartment block at TomlinsGrove in east London exploits the benefits ofmasonry’s thermal mass. Completed in 2004by Bill Dunster Architects’ ZEDfactory, thefour-storey building can store solar heat gainsfor up to five days in winter. In summer, thistime lag means internal temperatures can beup to 10ºC cooler than outside.

Dunster has frequently warned that houseswith lightweight construction do not have suf-ficient thermal mass to cope with ever increas-ing solar heat gain. By the middle of this century, many will require air-condi-tioning or could even face demolition.

The zero carbon project at Tomlins Grove,Bow, shows a way forward. Project architectSteve Harris says: ‘It has such high levels ofinsulation and thermal mass that no centralheating is required. It generates as much ener-gy from renewable sources as it consumesover a year, half from photovoltaic cells and

BowZedEast London

the rest from the wind generator.’The £500,000 building is orientated to

maximise its solar potential. Two flamboyantroof-mounted ventilation cowls with integralheat recovery track the wind, and the roof isfurther animated by a wind generator.

‘The finish is to the high levels expected ofa modern urban private sales development,’Harris says. ‘Windows are triple glazed, highquality sustainable softwood and the buildingis airtight to Scandinavian standards.’ Each ofthe four apartments has a south-facing livingroom, a terrace and a conservatory tuckedbeneath the dramatic 30° PV slope.

Heating is derived from the occupantsthemselves, solar gains on the south elevationand from cooking and appliances. A 15kWwood pellet boiler provides back-up for a sin-gle radiator in each flat, which only comes onwhen flats are unoccupied and the tempera-ture drops below 18ºC.

Masonry’s thermal mass is a vital weapon in the battle forenergy efficiency, as this zero-carbon project shows.

Case study

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Clay blocks and bricks articulate the eleva-tions. Yellow London stocks were sourcedfrom the brickworks that supplied the area inthe 19th century. Projecting by 120mm, theclay blocks are supported on an exposed C-channel at first-floor level, designed to allow afuture change of use on the ground floor.

Typical wall sections are 100mm clay blockor brick, 300mm rock fibre insulation and aninternal 140mm leaf of dense concrete block.Finished with a dense wet gypsum plaster, thewall construction is more than half a metrethick and achieves an impressive U-value of0.1. Thermal mass is enhanced by precast floorslabs supported on the reclaimed steel frame.

Tomlins Grove makes fine use of masonryin an integrated solution to environmental,technical and architectural demands. Harrisadds: ‘It also shows how a zero fossil energyscheme can be done on a tight site as part of aconventional development opportunity.’

Client Yorklake HomesArchitect BDA/ZEDfactoryStructural engineer Ellis and Moore Main contractor Toweregion

For more details on this project, please ringthe BDA on 01344 885651.

Technical

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Little details can have adramatic effect on internalbrickwork. Brick Bulletinadvises designers how tospecify for a top quality result.By Mike Hammett.

Brick’s attractive appearanceenhances much of our externalenvironment. But it is also usedinternally to great effect inbuilding types from houses tohotels, sports halls, supermarkets,libraries or civic centres.

Bricks used internally do nothave to be the same durability asthose used outside. And whilegreat compressive strength maybe necessary for some structuralapplications, this is rarely the casefor internal feature brickwork.

Designers have an extensivechoice of hues and textures attheir disposal. Colours rangefrom off-white through cream,buffs, browns, reds and purples to blues and blacks. Some shades are relatively clear andconsistent, many are multi-coloured. Textures may be smooth, sand-faced, dimpledor drag-faced, deeply scored orrough. Glazed bricks are availablein virtually any colour.

All this variety is derived fromthe behaviour of the raw materialsduring manufacture. A certaindegree of distortion in the form ofeach brick can give rise tocharacteristic differences in thebrickwork, from a preciseregularity to a rugged rusticity.

With the exception of glazedbricks, which are often suppliedindividually wrapped forprotection, bricks are produced,handled and transported in bulk,generally by mechanical means.Minor blemishes on the surfaceand edges of individual bricks areunavoidable and acceptable fornormal external brickwork. For

internal work, higher standards offinish are required because it willbe viewed from close quarters,often under unforgiving lighting.

For this reason the designershould specify that the bricklayerbe more discriminating whenselecting bricks for laying. As is

usual practice, the bricklayershould work from a minimum ofthree packs of bricks to avoidpatchiness or bands of colourvariation. Another approach is to ask the manufacturer to supplypacks of specially selected pre-blended bricks.

Brickwork for

The surface texture ofinternal brickwork atCaruso St John’s BrickHouse in Notting Hill isdramatically enhanced bynatural top-lighting.

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Mortar joints also haveconsiderable influence on thefinished appearance. The colourand texture of the mortar iscritical and the profile of thejoints is also important; theseshould be specified with care.Under strong directional lighting,pronounced shadows in deeplyraked joints make the brickworkappear much darker than it wouldwith flush joints.

ProtectionInternal brickwork must beprotected not only during itsconstruction but subsequentoperations. Unless the roof is on,it must be protected from theweather. If severely wetted, it is atgreat risk of efflorescence andlime staining. Internal brickworkis particularly vulnerable to limeand cement staining resultingfrom concrete being placedoverhead, as well as fromrainwater run-off from concreteslabs and beams. Staining will bedifficult to remove withoutleaving blemishes. Externalbrickwork might benefit fromweathering, but interior workdoes not. Most external cleaning

methods are not practicable forinteriors because of the risk ofdamage to adjacent finishes.There are specialist methods, butthey are very expensive.

Attention to detailInternal brickwork comes in formore critical appraisal thanexternal work, so great care shouldbe applied to its detailed designand assembly. Dimensions shouldbe based on the bonding patternso there will be no need for cutbricks and unsightly ‘zipper’irregularities in the pattern.

Bed joints must be spacedconsistently and kept level. Anyvariation will be immediatelyapparent, especially in corridorswhere work is viewed at closequarters along its length.

Corners, plinths, corbels, andthe jambs, heads and sills ofopenings, may be articulated withspecially shaped units. Discussthese with the brickmaker at anearly stage so specials will beready when needed.

Smooth, or slightly textured,hard, dense bricks can be used tobuild tough internal walls able totake the wear and tear of public

areas in shopping malls, sportshalls and similar buildings. A neatbucket-handled profile joint in anormal 1:1:6 cement/lime/sandmortar is serviceable and resistsmalicious damage. Softer, moretextured bricks are morevulnerable to vandalism. Painted

interiors WHAT TO WATCH1 Quality of bricks. To minimiseblemishes and size variation,consider specifying special selection by manufacturer.

2 Colour consistency. Ensurebricks are blended from aminimum of three packs or specifypre-blended packs from themanufacturer.

3 Special shaped bricks. Assessneed for specials and confirm theorder with the manufacturer ingood time.

4 Choose mortar colour, textureand mortar joint profile with care.

5 Dimensions should correspondwith brick coordinating sizes andbond pattern.

6 Cutting of bricks must beaccurate and neat, preferablyusing a bench saw.

7 Ensure neat and consistent bedand cross joints.

8 Control vertical alignment ofcross joints (perpends).

9 Plan working to avoid scaffoldlifts occurring at eye level.

10 Ensure effective protection ofbrickwork and flooring throughoutits construction and to completionof all following work.

Indoors with brick: in thebath at Caruso St John’sBrick House, and in David Kirkland’s HeadlandHouse, Hertfordshire (seenews, page 4).

graffiti can penetrate porousbricks deeply and is almostimpossible to remove completely.

In supervised areas, highlytextured bricks and recessedjoints can be used but are bestsited where there is no directcontact with furniture or people.Occasional vacuum cleaning witha soft brush attachment willremove dust. Light washing usinga sponge, hot water and a milddetergent will restore colour todulled surfaces. If bricks shedsand or grit particles, the surfacemay be bound with a transparentwater-thinned PVA surface seal.

Flooring Hardwearing, attractive floors canbe laid with brick paving, set andjointed in mortar on a concreteslab. Hard, dense, non-absorbentpavers resist dirt and stains andneed minimal maintenance. Theycan be sealed and polished for amore luxurious finish.

In areas subject to food anddrink spills, avoid the moreporous pavers as they can absorbstains. Used elsewhere they maybe kept clean with brushing andperiodic mopping with water anda mild detergent. Sealants can beapplied to this type of paver, butthey will need regular polishingand buffing and this inevitablychanges a naturally matt finish.

In many modern buildingsbrickwork provides continuity ofmaterial from outside to inside.Even where this is not the case,brick offers many opportunitiesfor attractive, robust and practicalinterior features.

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Detail

Baggeridge BrickTel: 01902 880555Email: [email protected]

Blockleys BrickTel: 01952 251933Email: [email protected]

Bovingdon BrickworksTel: 01442 833176Email: [email protected] www.bovingdonbricks.co.uk

Broadmoor BrickworksTel: 01594 822255Fax: 01594 826782Email: [email protected]

Bulmer Brick & Tile CoTel: 01787 269232Fax: 01787 269040Email: [email protected]

Carlton BrickTel: 01226 711521Direct sales line: 01226 715000 Email: [email protected]

Charnwood Forest BrickTel: 01509 503203Email: [email protected]

Coleford Brick & TileTel: 01594 822160Email: [email protected]

Dunton BrothersTel: 01494 772111Email: [email protected]

Errol BrickTel: 01821 642653Email: [email protected]

Freshfield Lane BrickworksTel: 01825 790350Email: [email protected] www.flb.uk.com

Hammill BrickTel: 01304 617613Email: [email protected]

Hanson Building ProductsTel: 0870 609 7092Email: [email protected]

Ibstock BrickTel: 01530 261999www.ibstock.co.uk

Kingscourt BrickTel: +353 (0)42 9667317Email: [email protected]

Michelmersh Brick & Tile Coo Tel: 01794 368506Email: [email protected]

Normanton Brick CoTel: 01924 892142/01924 895863Fax: 01924 223455

Northcot BrickTel: 01386 700551 Email: [email protected]

Ormonde BrickTel: +353 (0)56 44 41323Email: [email protected]

Phoenix Brick CompanyTel: 01246 233223Email: [email protected]

Wm C Reade of AldeburghTel: 01728 452982Fax: 01728 454957Email: [email protected]

Selborne Tile & BrickTel: 01420 478752Fax: 01420 474509Email: [email protected]

Swarland Brick CoTel: 01665 574229Fax: 01665 574400Email: [email protected]

Tyrone BrickTel: 02887 723421Fax: 02887 727193Email: [email protected]

The York Handmade Brick CoTel: 01347 838881Email: [email protected]

W H CollierTel: 01206 210301Email: [email protected]

Wienerberger Tel: 0161 491 8200Email: [email protected]

The Brick Development AssociationTel: 01344 885651Email: [email protected]

The Brick Development Association’s member companies

Brick plays an important role in many of Sergison Bates’ buildings. Thisconcept detail is part of a 2003 competition entry for a cultural historymuseum at Bornholm in Denmark. The detail is a development of thepractice’s ideas of conglomerate structures that achieve a betterintegration of claddings and linings with structure and servicing.

Stephen Bates says: ‘The material of the new building is brick, overalland monolithic in its presence. Soft in texture, with joints which areblurred by the wash of slurry over the surface, the bricks become morelike aggregate within a conglomerate structure [rather] than distinct,stacked masonry units. In parts, the brickwork is stretched to form anopen pattern, increasing ventilation into the cavity behind it. Structuralexpression is suppressed to give the material an autonomy fromtechnique, which intensifies its expression as wrapping, heavyweightenclosure or perforated screen.

‘A double brick skin is proposed with an outer skin of self-supportingbrickwork on the walls and as ballast on the roofs, and an inner structureof solid brickwork with keystone reinforcement in finely tunedcompression spanning between concrete ring beams. The roofs form aseries of interconnected vaults, running across the east-west axis,springing from double-skin walls. The spaces inside are encased by thisenveloping mass of brick which is ever present.’

Integrated thinking

50 brick slip on mortar bedding

Breather membrane

100 mineral wool insulation

225 brick with keystone reinforcement

50x50 stainless steel retaining angle

Stainless steel gutter

295x215 concrete ringbeam

30 wide open verticalperpends for air extract

50 mineral woolinsulation

100 brick inner leaf

225 void with brickdiaphragm

140x215 precastconcrete lintel

Pressed metal casing toblind box

Mortar slurry

225 brick outer leaf in flemish bond140x215 precast concrete lintelSW filletMastic pointing

195x65 oak window frame

150x65 oak window casement

Double glazed unit