thebrickarchitecture of henleyhalebrown rorrison

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tthhee ssaammee bbuutt ddiiffffeerreennttFor most architects issues of context are central to the design process.This is certainly true of Cottrell &Vermeulen (First Person) and HenleyHalebrown Rorrison (Profile) – yet their approaches to the use of brickcould not be more different; the former favouring ornamentation andpattern making, the latter a monolithic aesthetic rooted in the earth.Projects by Tony Fretton, Uwe Schröder and Fletcher Priest further attestto brick’s diversity and creative potential when it comes to realising highquality site-specific architecture.

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For details on bricks/pavers in featured projects, or to submitwork, email [email protected] or tel 020 7323 7030.

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ccoonntteennttss44 NNEEWWSS//FFIIRRSSTT PPEERRSSONON Projects in London and Birmingham by Stanton

Williams and FCB Studios; winners of the Think Brick Awards 2014;First Person – SimonTucker of Cottrell &Vermeulen.

6 BRICK AWARDS 20146 BRICK AWARDS 2014 Showcase of all 16 category winners.12 PR12 PROJECTSOJECTS Uwe Schröder, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris/Maccreanor

Lavington, LEVS Architecten, Taka Architects, Tony Fretton Architects/Geurst & Schulze, Harris & Kurrle, Peter Barber Architects, StudioDownie, Pollard Thomas Edwards, and Fletcher Priest.

20 PR20 PROFILEOFILE Timothy Brittain-Catlin discusses the brick architecture ofHenley Halebrown Rorrison with Simon Henley.

26 PRECEDENT26 PRECEDENTBrick brutalism in Kensington Place, London, by Tom Kay.

28 TECHNICAL28 TECHNICALA student residence in London by Fraser Brown MacKenna is constructedfrom prefabricated masonry panels.

Executive editor: VivianeWilliams MA, FRSA, Design &Marketing Manager at the BDABrick DevelopmentAssociation,The BuildingCentre, 26 Store Street, London,WC1E 7BTt: 020 7323 7030 e: [email protected]

The BDA represents manufacturers of clay brick and pavers in the UK and Ireland andpromotes excellence in the architectural, structural and landscape applications of brick andpavers.The BDA provides practical, technical and aesthetic advice and information throughits website www.brick.org.uk, in its numerous publications and over the phone.

ISSN 0307-9325 Published by the BDA ©2015 Editorial/design: Architecture Today plcFFrroonnttiissppiieecceethe Akerman Healthcentre, london, by HenleyHalebrown rorrison(ph: ioana Marinescu).

ccoovveerrrom.Hof, Bonn, Germany,by uwe Schröder(ph: Stefan Muller).

BBDDAA mmeemmbbeerr ccoommppaanniieessAJ Mugridge t +44 (0)1952 586986 www.ajmugridge.co.ukBovingdon Brickworks t +44 (0)1442 833176 www.bovingdonbricks.co.ukBulmer Brick & Tile Co t +44 (0)1787 269232 [email protected] Brick t +44 (0)1226 711521 www.carltonbrick.co.ukColeford Brick & Tile t +44 (0)1594 822160 www.colefordbrick.co.ukFurness Brick & Tile Co t +44 (0)1229 462411 www.furnessbrick.comHanson Building Products t +44 (0)330 1231017 www.hanson.com/ukHG Matthews t +44 (0)1494 758212 www.hgmatthews.comIbstock Brick t +44 (0)1530 261999 www.ibstock.co.ukKetley Brick Company t +44 (0)1384 78361 www.ketley-brick.co.ukMichelmersh Brick Holdings t +44 (0)844 931 0022 www.michelmersh.co.ukNorthcot Brick t +44 (0)1386 700551 www.northcotbrick.co.ukMatclad t +44 (0)1978 291133 www.matclad.co.ukThe York Handmade Brick Co t +44 (0)1347 838881 www.yorkhandmade.co.ukWH Collier t +44 (0)1206 210301 www.whcollier.co.ukWienerberger t +44 (0)161 4918200 www.wienerberger.co.uk

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light and reflectivity. The Horbury Hunt residentialaward went to Cox Rayner Architects and TwofoldStudio for Aperture House in Brisbane, Queensland,(above, ph: Christopher Frederick Jones). The exten-sion to a modest worker’s cottage uses perforatedand patterned brickwork to create varied depths offield. Brick is also used to form plinths and flooring,the latter blurring the distinction between insideand out. Other winners included Clayfield Housein Brisbane, Queensland, by Richards & Spence(masonry award); and Hansen Partnership’sDevonport Surf Life Saving Club Precinct inTasmania (landscape award).

MMiicchhaaeell AnkersAnkers appointedappointed BDABDA chairmanchairman

Michael Ankers OBE has been appointed chairmanof the Brick Development Association (BDA)following the retirement of Alan Baxter, who hasserved over 55 years in the industry. Ankers mostrecently held the position of chief executive of theConstruction Products Association, and has over40 years experience in various industry sectors.Commenting on his appointment he said, ‘I amhonoured to have been invited to chair the associa-tion. The brick industry has an important part toplay in the recovery of the construction industry,4 • BB WINTER 2014

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The redevelopment of The Kensington Collegesat the University of New South Wales in Sydney, byBates Smart (above, ph: Peter Bennetts) has wonthe Horbury Hunt commercial award at the 2014Think Brick Awards, organised by Think BrickAustralia. The external masonry walls are conceivedas a contemporary interpretation of the college’soriginal clinker brick, while the inner courtyardfacades employ glazed bricks for reasons of colour,

NNEEWWSS FFIIRRSSTT PPEERRSSOONN

SimonTucker reflects on issuesof context and ornamentationin the brick architecture ofCottrell &Vermeulen.

The starting point for our work isan understanding of the context inits widest sense. Material choice ispart of this response, and the use ofbrick allows us to both complementand contrast with the scheme’ssurroundings. Brentwood School inEssex illustrates different aspects ofthis approach. We began by choosinga brick that is sympathetic to thecampus’ dominant soft red masonry,but applied in a more interpretativeway with regards to the immediatecontext.

For the sixth form centre andassembly hall we were interested inornamentation and explored a num-ber of different decorative techniques.Pattern-making is inherent in brickconstruction and we took inspirationfrom the examples of diaper-work andpolychromies that features in existingbuildings on the site.

A super-scaled, filigree diaperpattern is applied as continuous‘wallpaper’ on the walls and roof ofthe classroom block. The patterningdoes not respond or adapt to thebuilding form or openings on theelevation, resulting in a dynamicsuperimposed quality.

The assembly hall reflects the reliefbrickwork of the adjacent Victorianvicarage. In contrast to the decorativefrill of the original building, the brick

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Stanton Williams has obtained planning approvalfor a canal-side pavilion at King’s Cross in London.Conceived as a single sculptural form embeddedinto its context, the building will house cafes, barsand a restaurant. A grey linear brick has beenchosen to complement the character and tonalpalette of the surrounding buildings. Colour-matched mortar, thin recessed joints and flushperpends are intended to emphasise the horizontali-ty of the composition. Precast concrete soffitpanels inlaid with the same grey brick providea monolithic aesthetic.

FFCCBB SSttuuddios’ Birmios’ Birmingham Conservatoireingham Conservatoire

Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios has unveiled itsdesign for the new Birmingham Conservatoire atBirmingham City University. The project, which isdue to start on site in the summer, will comprisefive performance venues including a 450-seatconcert hall. ‘Brick was selected for its mass, whichcontributes to acoustic separation – an importantfactor in designing an environment for music’,commented FCB Studios partner Tom Jarman.‘We intend to source the brick from a local supplierand are creating vertical banding across the facadesthrough the use of projecting headers.’

and particularly in the creation of the additionalhousing that politicians in all the major politicalparties recognise that this country urgently needs.These are exciting and challenging times for thebrick industry, and the Brick DevelopmentAssociation has an important role to play. I am verymuch looking forward to playing my part in this.’


elevational treatment. A combination ofglazed and unglazed brick animates thefacade, creating a strong composition intwo contrasting textures.We are also interested in the craft of

building with brick, which extends fromdrawing to construction. Innumerablefacade studies are made at the designstage, with every brick meticulously setout. On site, we rely on the care andcraftsmanship of the bricklayer. Ourdelight in brick construction is the ‘lookmany hands’ effect – the sense in whichthe effort and care taken throughoutthe process can be visibly appreciatedand enjoyed in the end product. For us,brick is a traditional material that makes

relief extends across the entire upperfacade. The pattern becomes the facade,with a direct geometrical relationshipbetween structure, form and ornament.With the Cunliffe Building and Bean

Library, both of which are due to com-plete early this year, we have continuedto use brick as part of a dynamicresponse to the surrounding context.Inspired by an adjacent arcade, BeanLibrary features a sequence of largemasonry arches built as loadbearingstructures, window openings, or patternswithin the external skin. The brick arcadeis a direct representation of structuralexpression, with the scale and weight ofthe arches emphasised by double- and

triple-voussoir courses. The structureis designed to be only one brick thick,so as one moves through the spaceit becomes laminar and unexpectedlydelicate. From inside the arcade, a seriesof cross-arches of varying radii frameviews of the landscape beyond.The upper facade features a second

tier of arches using the same geometry.The openings wrap three sides of thereading room, creating a grand scale tothe building’s principal space. From thegarden, the whole library seems to beformed from a single modulated motif.Sited adjacent to the library with the

main facade facing a public space, theCunliffe Building explores texture and

AAbboovvee lleefftt Due to complete in the spring, BeanLibrary at Brentwood School in Essex features asequence of load-bearing arches constructed fromdouble-and triple-voussoir brick courses.AAbboovvee rriigghhtt Relief brickwork on Brentwood Schoolassembly hall responds to the adjacentVictorianvicarage; a super-scaled, filigree diaper pattern isapplied like continuous ‘wallpaper’ on the walls androof of the classroom block (phs: Tom Cronin).

SimonTucker is a director atCottrell &VermeulenArchitecture.

a simple, direct and phenomenalconnection to a given context. Italso offers versatility in form-making,allowing us to explore an architecturethat combines both the familiar andunfamiliar in stimulating and thought-provoking ways.


The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre atthe London School of Economics byO’Donnell &Tuomey (1) was namedthe supreme winner of the 2014 BrickAwards, held at the Marriott GrosvenorSquare Hotel in London on 12 November.Interpreting the urban context as a ‘cityof bricks’, the architect has created atilting folding masonry facade that is cutor ‘stretched’ thinly to admit light intothe building. Eschewing the need for cutbricks, the design makes use of over 100handmade specials and 46 standardbricks. The jury, which was chaired byRichard Lavington of MaccreanorLavington Architects, described thebuilding as a ‘masterpiece, which hascreated a new language for brickwork’.The project also won the best educationbuilding category and the innovative useof brick and clay products award.

Winner of the best housing develop-ment (1-5 units) category was a privatehouse in Wapping, London, by ChrisDyson Architects (2). Constructed fromnine-inch brickwork laid in Flemish bondto the front and side, and header bondon the semicircular bay, this finely-tunedextension to a late Georgian end-of-terrace house features extended cut-brickarches and slim profile sills framingbronze casement windows. Window anddoor openings relate to the rhythm ofthe brick module and coursing. Thejury praised the house as ‘a finely craftedand constructed building of real architec-tural quality’.

Black Hawk Properties won the besthousing development award (6-25 units)for the Quay, Waterside phase-one inLeicester (3). Described by the jury as asophisticated and successful attempt toredefine estate housing, the projecttakes its inspiration from traditionalnineteenth-century Dutch villages. Thedwellings are characterised by masonryfacades in a range of brick hues andrenders, stepped gables, and eyebrowdormers atop deep overhanging eaves.Chosen for their colour and texture,the bricks were processed to createa weathered and aged appearance.

Best housing development (26 units

Winners of the 2014 Brick Awardswere selected from over 400 entries.

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11 The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre at theLondon School of Economics; architect: O’Donnell& Tuomey; brickwork contractor: Swift BrickworkContractors; brick: Coleford Brick &Tile – BespokeBlend Saxon &Wessex Facings; mortar: CPI EuroMix.22 House inWapping; architect: Chris DysonArchitects; brickwork contractor: BeckwithTuck-pointing; brick: Ibstock Brick – ColeridgeAshdownYellow Multi; mortar: Anglia Lime Company.33 The Quay,Waterside phase-one; architect,brickwork contractor: Black Hawk Properties; brick:Wienerberger – Bevern Kilnwood Dark Multi Stock,Ibstock Brick –Yew; mortar: Site Mix.44 Abode; architect: Proctor & Matthews; brickworkcontractor: Countryside Properties; brick: IbstockBrick – Ivanhoe Cream, Himley Ebony Black; mortar:CPI EuroMix.55 Bentley Priory; architect: Clague Architects;brickwork contractor: Harlequin Brickwork; brick:Ibstock Brick – Leicester Multi Cream, Heritage RedBlend; mortar: Cemex.

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or more) was awarded to Abode inCambridge by Proctor & Matthews (4).Comprising over 300 homes, thescheme makes extensive use of brick toaccentuate entrances and elevations, aswell as articulate scales and hierarchies.Brick is also placed alongside othermaterials to denote shifts in density andtypology across the site. ‘An exemplarydevelopment with a well thoughtout layout that fits superbly into itssurroundings’, was the jury’s assessment.The volume housebuilding award

went to Barratt for three developments:Bentley Priory, Middlesex, designed byClague Architects (5); TrumpingtonMeadows, Cambridge, by Allies &

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Morrison; and Horizons, AllertonBywater, West Yorkshire, by HTAArchitects. The jury felt that all threeprojects showed distinctive architecturalqualities in terms of their response tothe brief and the surrounding context.It was particularly impressed by the useof pre-cast brick arches and contrastingbrickwork at Bentley Priory.

Designed by HOK, Davies Street inLondon won the best commercialbuilding award (6). Demonstrating thebenefits of factory controlled off-sitemanufacture, the facade is constructedfrom large precast cladding panels com-bining a blend of handmade brick andPortland stone. Obviating the need forexternal scaffolding or wet trades, the

panels were delivered to site and fixed inone operation by a small team of spe-cially trained operatives. ‘Davies Streethas all the architectural integrity andbeauty of a hand-set masonry buildingbuilt by craftsmen’, commented the jury.

Rick Mather Architects was the recipi-ent of the best public building award forits Customer Service Centre and Libraryin London (7). Described by the jury as‘beautifully put together and wellexecuted’, the project makes use of largebrick planes framed by expanses of glassand areas of terracotta dressing. A longthin brick module is employed in verticaland horizontal courses depending on thearticulation of the facade. Vertical brickribbing layered across some of the

window openings adds further interest.Upgraded both internally and external-

ly by Universal Design Studio, the AceHotel in London won the refurbishmentand renovation category (8). A heavy yethighly articulated masonry plinth com-prising areas of recessed brick, a rangeof different bonds, and both glazed andunglazed brick, ‘knits’ the building backinto its urban context, while also provid-ing a rich source of texture and material-ity. Some 11,000 brick slips and pistolswere installed on the soffits andupstands to reduce weight. The jury washighly impressed by the quality andcraftsmanship of the scheme, as wellas its ‘active’ street frontage andwelcoming lobby.

The award for best outdoor spacewent to Reading Station in Berkshireby Grimshaw Architects (9). Formingpart of a major upgrade and expansionscheme, both sawtooth glazed andsmooth monochrome brick line anunderpass and the lower levels of thefacade, creating an aesthetically pleasingand hardwearing approach to thestation. The judges praised the designfor its accuracy, consistency andtechnical competence.

Recipient of the craftsmanship awardwas Bekynton Field at Eton College inBerkshire by John Simpson Architects(10). Specially designed wall ties connectthe red brick external skin to the con-crete frame, allowing the masonry to

66 Davies Street; architect: HOK; brickworkcontractor:Thorp Precast; brick: Coleford Brick &Tile – brick faced cladding panels; mortar:TarmacBuilding Products.77 Customer Service Centre + Library; architect:Rick Mather Architects; brickwork contractor:Pyramid Builders; brick: Michelmersh Brick Holdings– I-line Bespoke Blend, Farnham Red, Light VictorianRed; mortar: CPI EuroMix.88 Ace Hotel; architect: Universal Design Studio;brickwork contractor:Winchmore Brickwork; brick:Ketley Brick Company – Ketley Blue; mortar: Cemex.99 Reading Station; architect: Grimshaw Architects;brickwork contractor: Lee Marley Brickwork; brick:Wienerberger – Bespoke Profile Glazed Bricks,Ibstock Brick – Tap Smooth; mortar: CPI EuroMix.1010 Bekynton Field, Eton College; architect: JohnSimpson Architects; brickwork contractor: LeeMarley Brickwork; brick: Ibstock Brick – GrosvenorLight Red Multi; mortar: Site Mix.

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move independently of the structure.The brickwork arches and stone featureswere constructed off-site prior todelivery and installation in accordancewith the building programme. The juryfelt that the masonry had been executedwith great care and skill resulting in abeautifully crafted building.

Berkshire-based Lee Marley Brickworkwas named specialist brickwork contrac-tor of the year for three projects:Bromley Road, London, by Leeds Studio(11); Reading Station by GrimshawArchitects; and Bekynton Field at EtonCollege by John Simpson Architects.The jury was highly impressed by accu-racy of the work in all three projects.In particular, it felt that the technicaldemands of Eton College were metwith great skill and ingenuity, while theattention to detail on Bromley Roadwas second to none.

The international category was won byDe Blacam & Meagher Architects forDalkey Avenue, a private house inDublin, Ireland (12). Planned around twolarge brick fireplaces, this sculptural fam-ily home occupies a steeply sloping siteoverlooking Dublin Bay. Thick masonrywalls with wide mortar beds and per-pends emphasise the building’s boldmassing and solid appearance. A seriesof brick-lined terraces connect the inte-rior with the surrounding landscape.

Parkstad Rotterdam in Holland byGeurst & Schulze won the worldwidebrick award (13). Inspired by Dutch bricktraditions, the scheme comprises fiveresidential buildings accommodating227 apartments and maisonettes. Thebuildings are subtly differentiated usingthree colours of brick arranged in variouscombinations. Recessed and projectingbrickwork combined with horizontal

1111 Bromley Road; architect: Leeds Studio;brickwork contractor: Lee Marley Brickwork; brick:Ibstock Brick – Kingscote Grey Multi, Bradgate LightBuff, Bradgate Harvest Antique; mortar: CPIEuroMix.1122 Dalkey Avenue; architect: De Blacam & MeagherArchitects; brickwork contractor: PrincipalConstruction; brick: Ibstock Brick – Ivanhoe Cream,CooksbridgeYellow, Manchester Brick PrecastArches; mortar: Kilsaran Concrete.133 Parkstad Rotterdam; architect: Geurst & Schulze;brickwork contractor: Haverhals Metselwerken;brick: Hagemeister – Lubeck, Gent, Rostock; mortar:Saint-GobainWeber Beamix BV.1144 Rockbourne Mews; architect: Robert and JessicaBarker; brickwork contractor: Phase Brickworks;brick:Wienerberger – Marzialle; mortar: Site Mix.JJuurryy Richard Lavington (Maccreanor Lavington Architects),Bob Allies (Allies & Morrison), David Cole Adams(Worshipful Guild ofTylers & Bricklayers), JonathanDawes (Cottrell &Vermeulen Architects), Michael Driver(Director of Studies at Christ’s College Cambridge),Alex Gordon (Jestico &Whiles),Alexis Harrison (Arup),Michael Hammett (brickwork consultant), Joe Morris(Duggan Morris Architects), Nick Rogers (TaylorWimpey), and AndrewTaylor (Utterford District Council).PPhhoottooss The Brick Development Association.


concrete bands provides further surfacemodelling and visual interest. ‘A winningbuilding which demonstrates long-termdurability and beauty’, was how the jurydescribed the project.

Last but not least, the architect’schoice award went to Robert and JessicaBarker for Rockbourne Mews, a sustain-able residential scheme in London (14).The architect specified a fair-faced,light-coloured stock brick to comple-ment the surrounding buildings and toreflect light into the courtyard aroundwhich the scheme is planned. Carefullyset out to brick dimensions, but variedto create a dynamic rhythm, thetwo-storey, triple-glazed windows areframed by slender brick piers. Over150 architects and students voted forthis building.• For more information on the winning projects andfinalists please visit www.brick.org.uk/brick-awards/.

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A student residence in Bonn by UweSchröder is an exercise in enclosureand materials.

Rom.Hof is a four-storey student resi-dence in Bonn, Germany, designed bylocal architect Uwe Schröder. The apart-ments are accessed via a series of loggiasstacked vertically around a central court-yard. Bisecting the courtyard is a narrowtwo-storey structure housing a kitchenon the ground floor and washing facili-ties above. The solid-to-void ratio dou-bles between the courtyard and street12 • BB WINTER 2014

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PPhhoottooss Stefan Muller.

Space, form and order

facades, clearly delineating the publicand private spaces. Brick is used toexpressive effect not only around thevaulted window and door openings, butalso on the facades, where it graduallychanges from a rich red to a warmyellow as if the building is growingorganically out of its site. The courtyardis also predominantly paved in red brick.


Masterplanned and designed by AllfordHall Monaghan Morris and MaccreanorLavington Architects, William StreetQuarter in east London is believed to bethe UK’s first fully privately-fundedaffordable social housing scheme. Threemews streets providing three- and four-bedroom terraced houses line and define PPhhoottooss Rob Parrish (above),Tim Soar.

the perimeter of the site, while a central10-storey tower containing 76 one-bed-room apartments terminates a mansionblock-lined boulevard. The mews housesand their garden walls are built of thesame variegated brick – chosen for itsrobustness, quality and appropriatenessfor residential use. Parapets, deep revealsand generous timber-framed windowsreinforce a sense of solidity and perma-nence. Recessed into the facade and linedwith muted colour variations, theentrances provide shelter and privacy.Wrap-around kitchen corner windowsallow residents to view their front doors.

Community valuesBrick is central to a high quality socialhousing scheme in east London byAHMM and Maccreanor Lavington.


Situated near Dublin’s River Dodder,Merrion Cricket Club pavilion hasreplaced a flood-damaged structure dat-ing from the 1980s. Designed by TAKAArchitects, the building takes the form ofa symmetrical pyramidal volume thathas been seemingly cut to fit the irregu-lar geometry of the site. Responding tothe risk of flooding, the pavilion is raised

off the ground and has awaterproof con-crete ‘wainscot’ up to window sill level,followed by stretcher-bonded brickwork.A cream coloured brick was specified tocomplement the Dolphin’s Barn brick-work used on the houses behind thepavilion. In the areas where the buildingis accessed, such as the bar, tearoom orchanging rooms, the brick is turned side-

ways to form a solid one-brick thick wallin header stack-bond. Ventilation – bothmechanical and natural – is through per-forated sections of brickwork in the rearelevations. A pre-patinated standing-seam zinc roof was chosen to withstanddriving rain at low pitch, as well as theimpact of high speed cricket balls.

Taka Architects has designed a newpavilion for Merrion Cricket Clubin Dublin.

How’s that?

PPhhoottooss Alice Clancy.

Tanouan Ibi primary school stands at theedge of a village in Mali’s Dogon region.Designed by LEVSArchitecten, the build-ing accommodates 180-pupils andincludes three classrooms, an office,depot and sanitary block. It is plannedaround a central brick vault, which isbraced on both sides by loggias running PPhhoottoo LEVS Architecten.

Old meets newA brick-built primary school in Maliby LEVS Architecten marries traditionalarchitecture with modern technology.

the length of the building. The latterdouble as circulation and informal meet-ing spaces, while also providing solarshading. Ceramic tubes set into the roofprovide additional natural ventilationand daylighting. The school is construct-ed from non-fired bricks which weremade on site. They are sustainable,

provide good levels of thermal mass, andcan withstand Mali’s extreme climate ofhigh daytime temperatures and heavyrainfall. Used on the floors, walls androof, the bricks allow the building tomerge with the landscape in the mannerof traditional Dogon architecture.


PPhhoottooss Christian Richters.

Located in the Dutch townof DenHelder,Molenplein phase one occupies a longsite between two stretches of water (theHelderskanaal and the Werfkanaal)overlooking a fine Napoleonic naval yard.Masterplanned by West 8, the housesfacing the dockyard were to be three-storeys high and imposing, while thosesituated along Helderskanaal were to besimpler and only two storeys high.

Buildings by Tony Fretton Architectsand Geurst & Schulze Architecten areinterspersed throughout the scheme,with brick forming a common facadematerial – albeit specified in differentcolours, types and finishes, includingpaint. The houses by Geurst & Schulzefeature carefully crafted details andprovide punctuation in the terrace. Thoseby Tony Fretton are simpler and rely ongenerously proportioned windows andentrance doors in facades of rose-coloured brick with white pointing. Thepractices are currently designing a thirdphase which will extend the parallelstreets to the seafront.

On the waterfrontBrick unites a canal-side housingdevelopment byTony Fretton Architectsand Geurst & Schulze Architecten.


PPhhoottooss Werner Huthmacher.

Located adjacent to Berlin’s centralMuseum Island, Harris & Kurrle’sArcheological Centre serves a number ofthe city’s museums, and includes offices,workshops, laboratories and storagefacilties. The five-storey building isintended to blur the distinction betweenurban texture and monumentality, adap-tation and individuality. A dark colouredbrick facade complements the mainly

Digging downA simple material palette is used tostriking effect at Berlin’s ArcheologicalCentre by Harris & Kurrle.

rendered and stone-clad context whiledemonstrating material independence.Laid rearside up, the rough surface of thethin-format bricks combined with anearthy colour give the facade a ‘modestrigour’, says the architect. Deep brick-work reveals articulate the punchedwindows. The main entrance is signalledby a double-height curtain wall.


Conceived as a collage of old and newbuildings, Mount Pleasant is a shelteredhousing scheme in central London byPeter Barber Architects. A key move wasto demolish the central linking part ofthe existing H-shaped hostel block thatoccupies the site. This created a protect-ed courtyard that forms the social heart PPhhoottooss Morley von Sternberg.

Safe from harmA sheltered housing scheme for home-less people by Peter Barber Architectsmakes use of new and reclaimed brick.

of the new scheme and provides accessto a laundry, shared kitchen, consultingroom and apartments. The developmentis entered from a narrow lane throughthe arched doors of the hostel building.Standing sentinel at the short east andwest ends of the courtyard are two newapartment buildings clad in reclaimedLondon stock brick. The new centralelevation (previously an internal wall)has been rebuilt in a cream-colured brickwith a white mortar to match theelevations on either side. A new buildingfronting Mount Pleasant reinstates theback of the pavement terrace.

PPhhoottoo Peter Everard Smith.

Fletcher Priest Architects’ redevelop-ment of 50 Victoria Embankment inLondon combines the restoration ofgrade-two listed Carmelite House withan adjacent river front extension thatreplaces an existing 1990s building. Boththe six-storey river facade and adjacentCarmelite Street elevation are dividedinto three nine-metre bays. Infilled withbrick and overlaid by a grid of verticalpiers and horizontal string courses ren-dered in Portland stone, each structuralbay – with the exception of that over theentrance – is subdivided into threewindow bays. The material palette isintended to relate closely to the adjacentbuildings and to the listed facade onCarmelite Street. The differentiation ofthe entrance bay, both in material andform, is intended to respond to therhythm of adjacent river frontages.The red brick infill varies in detail and

depth depending on its vertical position.At ground level, the brick provides anarticulated appearance with every othercourse slightly recessed in reference tothe rusticated bases of the adjoiningbuildings and to increase surface model-ling. Above, the masonry has a lesstextured surface with long slim bricks setcloser to the face of the stone stringcourses. The return of recessed brickcoursing on the fourth floor acknowl-edges the horizontal datum set by themain cornice of the adjacentAudit House.

Down to businessAn extension to a listed London officeby Fletcher Priest Architects is renderedin red brick and Portland stone.

PPhhoottooss Tim Crocker

Designed by Pollard Thomas Edwards,Ceres CB1 in Cambridge comprises fourblocks housing 150 mixed-tenure apart-ments. A dark facing brick was chosen tostand out against the surrounding ‘sea ofbuff brick’, emphasising the buildings aspavilions in the park. Chamfered windowsurrounds enhance views to the west,while to the east, textured facades withpunched openings provide privacy forthe bedrooms. Flemish bond is combinedwith alternating triangular bay windows,and projecting snapped headers, to cre-ate playful shadows across the facade.An upper floor brick frame accentuatesthe tallest building setbacks, givingprivacy to the penthouse apartments.

Traditional valuesA residential scheme in Cambridgeby PollardThomas Edwards speaksof brick’s solidity and longevity.


Forming part of the southern gateway toLondon’s King’s Cross Central develop-ment, Seven Pancras Square is a servicedoffice by Studio Downie Architects. Theplan wraps around the existing StanleyBuilding, creating a lightwell at its centre.A pair of brick planes extend north-south,curving around the existing structure andcontrasting with vertical glazed walls tothe east and west. Laid in a Flemish bondwith a charcoal-colouredmortar, thedarkbrickwalls comprise a pre-mixed blend ofthree closely-matched colours. Designedto address the route to St PancrasStation, a new brick gable wall is con-structed from a sandfaced yellow stock inFlemish bond with a lime mortar.PPhhoottooss John Sturrock.


Parallel linesA pair of brick planes define an officebuilding in London’s King’s Crossby Studio Downie Architects.

Timothy Brittain-Catlin discusses HHbR’sbrick architecture with Simon Henley.


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One of the most striking aspects of brickwork as it isdeployed by Henley Halebrown Rorrison is the unusualway in which the architects express the monolithicnature of the material. Simon Henley explains that insome cases the intention is to draw upon brick as a uni-fying material: at the Akerman Health Centre inLondon (2006-12), for example, the only element incommon with neighbouring buildings was the brickfacings. The creation of a street front in ivory-colouredbrick, with a closely-matching mortar that seems todraw upon Danish precedent, enables the building toestablish a new coherence in the area. The slightlyearlier health centre at Baldry Gardens, also in London(2004-10), had been the first of HHbR’s projects toexperiment with monolithic brick walls, and at StBenedict’s School in Ealing, west London (2006-08),the scheme that for many established its reputation,new brickwork was designed to make the transitionbetween older buildings and the large areas of GRCsheet in similar colour that clad the main part of thenew building.

OOppppoossiittee The Akerman Health Centre in London (2006-12) employsivory coloured brickwork and a closely matched mortar to establisha new coherence within the local context (ph: Ioana Marinescu).BBeellooww lleefftt Intending to make an ‘English architecture’, HHbR used ared brick to construct the hall at Caldicott School in Buckinghamshire(2001-04). Masonry roof piers serve as a weighty base to fine steeluprights supporting a cantilevered canopy (ph: Nick Kane).BBeellooww rriigghhtt Simon Henley is a founding principal of London-basedHenley Halebrown Rorrison.To date, the practice has won five RIBAawards and has been mid-listed for the RIBA Stirling Prize.

It was not however Scandinavian architecture thatinspired Henley’s interest in the material, but the nine-teenth-century industrial buildings of Liverpool wherehe studied architecture. Alongside the brick architec-ture of Kahn and Lewerentz, he developed an interest inthe almost brutal use of brick for colour and textureemployed by Jesse Hartley and Anthony Lyster in theirdock buildings; the latter’s Stanley Dock tobacco ware-house, with its massive cliff of grey and pink, was thelargest warehouse building in the world at its comple-tion in 1901. And this cliff-like aspect of brick construc-tion is something that still appeals to Henley, a fan ofJohn Wellborn Root’s stupendous brick mountain face


at the Monadnock Building in Chicago (1893); for him,the Akerman project provided an opportunity tosuggest the Jurassic coast of Dorset, its layers of roughand smooth seams of rock littered with fossils. Otherinfluences include the post-war Brutalist use of brick-work, and he cites Stirling and Gowan’s Ham Commonflats as an example, and churches by Andy MacMillanand Isi Metzstein for Gillespie, Kidd & Coia.

It is interesting, then, that Henley sees the useof massive brickwork as a palette similar to that ofmonolithic concrete rather than associating it withdecorative ‘bricky’ architecture of all periods and styles.It makes sense that he shares with some post-warBritish architects the idea that sculptural Brutalistarchitecture owes something to traditional and vernac-ular brickwork forms. That attitude, part of Henley’sview that brick is the substance of a building and not acladding alternative, emerges strongly in The Yard

AAbboovvee//rriigghhtt The health centre at Baldry Gardens in south London(2004-10) was one of the practice’s first projects to experiment withmonolithic brick walls (phs: Nick Kane).MMiiddddllee//ooppppoossiittee The brickwork at St Benedict’s School in Ealing, westLondon (2006-08), is designed to make the transition between theolder buildings and the large areas of similar coloured GRC sheetthat is used to clad much of the new building (phs: David Grandorge).


(2012) at Roehampton University campus, where con-trasting brick paving and walling patterns weavetogether an irregular setting to create a timelesslandscape. This project, says Henley, will also provide atest bed for future experiments by the practice.Downshire House, a current project also atRoehampton, takes the ‘anti-cladding’ approachalmost to an extreme: if the reinforced concrete frameswithin the building were ever removed, the self-supporting brick and precast facades would remainstanding as Kahnian ‘ruins’.

The use of brickwork enables HHbR to establish aconversation between the homogenous and the het-erogeneous, and here another aspect of the essentialnature of brickwork comes into play: the extent towhich it appears to be ‘manufactured’, and the ways inwhich brick differs from other manufactured materials.One primary difference is the variation betweenindividual bricks emerging from the same kiln. Veryminor variations in colour and texture resulting fromslight chemical differences across the raw material, andsome deviations due to deformation during their

‘Downshire House takes the“anti-cladding” approach toan extreme: if the reinforcedconcrete frames within thebuilding were ever removed,the self-supporting brick andprecast facades would remainstanding as Kahnian “ruins”.’

removal from the mould whilst still wet and duringfiring, might be indetectable close up but create tex-ture across a long wall. This can be important where abudget requires the use of the notoriously ‘untextured’stretcher bond. The brick, says, Henley, retains some-thing of the natural about it, carrying with it up into thewall ‘a strong sense of the source, the ground. Itappears to be less manufactured; instead, it is “given”to us and “handled” (the latter no doubt supported byits comparative size to the hand)’. At Downshire House,

Timothy Brittain-Catlin is an architect and architecturalhistorian. He teaches at the Kent School of Architecture.

AAbboovvee Contrasting brick paving and walling patterns are woventogether in The Yard, located at the heart of the Universityof Roehampton campus (2012, ph: Andrew Haslam).OOppppoossiittee aabboovvee The texture of the brickwork and mortar beds atKing’s Crescent, a residential development in London, are designedmediate the large scale of the project. It is due to complete in 2017.OOppppoossiittee bbeellooww Due to complete in the summer, Downshire Houseat the University of Roehampton features bold self-supporting brickand precast concrete facades.

and also at King’s Crescent, near Clissold Park, for theLondon Borough of Hackney, the texture of the brick-work and mortar beds is designed to balance the largescale of the buildings.

A continuous story therefore emerges across thework of the practice as a whole. Much of the reputationof HHbR, and of its predecessor Buschow Henley, hasbeen due to its ability to create a new coherent spacewithin a fragmented context. It is Simon Henley’s atti-tude to brick, its geology as much as its stylistic andconstructional role in different English architecturalhistories, that provides substance and textures thatfuse even a large new building into an urban landscape.


AAbboovvee The bold uncompromising facadesare constructed from Staffordshire blue-blackengineering brick.RRiigghhtt Axonometric view of the exterior.BBeellooww Architect and political activist,Tom Kay(1935-2007) founded his practice in 1964. He alsotaught at the Royal College of Art and the PrinceofWales’ Institute of Architecture.PPhhoottooss The Modern House. The property iscurrently for sale at www.themodernhouse.net.

Occupying a corner plot at the end of astucco-fronted early Victorian terrace incentral London, Tom Kay’s little knownKensington Place house is as strikingtoday as when it was completed in 1967.Described by English Heritage as ‘toughyet elegant, slightly reminiscent ofDutch expressionism, and wholly of itstime’, this uncompromising grade-twolisted dwelling was designed for photog-rapher Christopher Bailey and hisopera-singer wife Angela Hickey. Thebrief was for a private, spatially dynamicand acoustically sound space that wouldallow the couple to pursue their respec-tive careers and interests.One of Kay’s most important moves

was to place most of the circulationroutes within a round tower that was

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and bathroom. The first floor is givenover to double-height living room with amezzanine gallery and study spanningdiagonally across the northern end.One of the house’s most distinguish-

ing features is the use of a Staffordshireblue-black engineering brick for both theinternal and external walls. Laid withrecessed black mortar joints, and com-bined with blue-black brick floor paviors,the brick surfaces give the design a senseof cohesion and unity. The material alsomarks a clean break with the surround-ing Victorian architecture. The localplanning department initially requesteda stucco finish or soot-rubbed Londonstock bricks for the exterior walls, butKay and his clients eventually persuadedthem otherwise.

partly disengaged from the main block.This not only increased the floor area,but also allowed much greater spatialfreedom, including an uninterruptedliving room that runs front to back of thenarrow site. The stair tower, which wasregarded as a bay in order to gain plan-ning consent, extends above the buildingto provide access to a rooftop terrace. Italso forms a distinctive external feature,neatly terminating the end flank walland signalling the entrance to the house.Raised slightly above street level and

accessed via a short brick-paved ramp,the ground floor houses an entrance hall,two bedrooms and a bathroom. Withaccess to a sunken garden at the rear,the lower ground floor contains akitchen, dining room, spare bedroom

A sculptural 1960s brick house byTom Kay has stood the test of time.

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A student residence in Londonby Fraser Brown MacKenna isconstructed from prefabricatedmasonry panels.

Designed by Fraser Brown MacKennaArchitects, Ravenscourt House in westLondon comprises 234 self-containedstudent bedrooms, together with com-munal facilities and additional teachingspace for an adjoining primary school.The site borders two conservation areaswith the local context comprising main-ly residential buildings with richlydetailed brick and stucco facades.The building comprises three separate

volumes connected by landscapedcourtyards. Each block is treated with adifferent brick, creating a clear sense ofidentity and responding to the adjoiningbuildings across the site. The largestblock fronts Paddenswick Road and fea-tures a white-painted concrete plinth,above which are three floors of highlymodelled brickwork, including projectingheaders set within a Flemish bond. Thefourth and fifth floors are less heavilymodelled and are capped by a band ofintricately detailed brickwork with theheaders removed. This signals a materialchange on the top floor, which is clad inzinc and recessed from the main facade.The original proposal featured tradi-

tional brick cavity walls and cast-insupport rails and fixings, explains the

OOppppoossiittee Some 253 prefabricated masonry facadepanels were installed over a period of 16 weeks.BBeellooww section; ground floor plan

architect. But it was decided to employa precast and pre-fabricated facadesolution in order to meet the tightprogramme. Sample panels were com-missioned amid concerns that theprefabricated brickwork could look over-ly engineered or appear too uniform.

The final panels are constructed fromhalf-bricks laid into a plywood mould.The moulds were CNC-cut to match theprojecting header arrangement, Flemishbond and fenestration. Cast over thebricks is 200mm of concrete. Each panelincorporates apertures for MVHR extractand inlet, as well as lifting eyes forinstallation. Window surrounds andchamfered patterned motifs wereformed using fibreglass moulds.

The lower storeys comprise fair-facedconcrete panels, which are slightly nar-rower than the brick panels to ensure anadequate drip edge. The outer surface isfinished with a factory-applied concretemineral paint.

The inset render panels were also castin plywood moulds, with a rubber form-liner inscribing the delicate patternedmotif. Combining large areas of glazingwith hit-and-miss brickwork, the nurserypanels were among the most challeng-ing to manufacture in structural terms.The solution provided by the panelfabricator was to resin-bond the brickstogether (thereby avoiding vertical


LLeefftt Detail section through facade. Key: 1 polyester powder-coated aluminiumcoping, 2 capping sheet, 3 25mm rigid insulation, 4 waterproof membrane,5 gravel border, 6 sedum blanket, 7 attenuation layer, 8 200mm rigid insulation,9 concrete slab, 10 precast concrete panel with brick cladding, 11 plasterboardsuspended ceiling, 12 aluminium window, 13 metal frame with insulation andplasterboard lining, 14 50mm rigid insulation bonded to precast panel,15 insulated fire closer, 16 precast concrete panel with mineral paint finish,17 tanking membrane, 18 cement particle board, 19 waterproof concrete,20 concrete piles, 21 brick retaining wall, 22 hit-and-miss brickwork, 23 18mmplywood, 24 capping sheet, 25 zinc coping on DPM on plywood, 26 insectmesh, 27 zinc cladding standing seam, 28 50mm vertical timber battens on50mm counter battens, 29 breather membrane, 30 sheathing boards,31 150mm metal stud, 32 zinc cill on plywood on timber firring.OOppppoossiittee bbeellooww The facade cladding panels are constructed from half-brickslaid into CNC-cut plywood moulds and cast over with 200mm of concrete.PPhhoottooss Tim Crocker,Thorp Precast.

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‘The decision to move from tradition-al to prefabricated construction had nobearing on the initial detail design phase,and indeed it could be argued that thismethod enhanced the clarity of thejunctions between the brickwork andconcrete elements’, concludes the archi-tect. ‘There is a homogeneity within theelements that would have been difficultto achieve in any other way.’

dowelling) before de-moulding withtemporary strong-backs.On the facades, the panels are gener-

ally stack loaded one onto the next, withhead restraints fixed back to the con-crete frame and all vertical loads trans-ferred to the pile cap beam. At shear walllocations, concrete corbel ‘boots’ areused to transfer structural loads to thefloor slab. Located at the gable ends and

to progress concurrently with panelmanufacture. When the first panel wasinstalled, approximately 75 per cent ofthe remaining facade units had beenmade already. All 253 panels wereinstalled in a period of 16 weeks. Thebathroom pods were prefabricated andinstalled prior to panel fitting, allowingthe building to be made weathertightcomparatively quickly.

incorporating a cantilevered parapet,the largest panels weigh approximately14 tonnes.Each panel was delivered to site with

the insulation and fire stopping pre-fixed. The units were not pre-glazed asthe window manufacturer could notmatch the speed of panel production.One of the advantages of prefabricationwas that it allowed the concrete frame


thebrickarchitecture of henleyhalebrown rorrison

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