The Emperor Augustus once said, “I found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble.” His point was that he improved the city’s fortunes. To Augustus bricks were simply a foundation upon which to build the city’s wealth. But contemporary bricks offer so much more than this.
In modern building design, bricks can have a true aesthetic value, alongside their physical benefits. For architects, they open up possibilities in terms of realising very individual goals and helping to bring unique visions to life.
Exclusivity and Availability
Bricks are no longer simply commonplace building components. They present certain advantageous physical properties, such as thermal and acoustic insulation and fire resistance. Beyond this, they offer a huge variety of options for architectural design.
“We believe that bricks can contribute enormously to the character of a building,” comments Jonathan Plews, Managing Director of All About Bricks in Mansfield. “Bricks are about finding practical, but elegant, solutions for construction, and giving architects more choice.”
Specialist bricks are now in the forefront of building materials because architects are able to make the most of their versatility and durability for a considerable range of projects in both the public and private sector.
“Architects strive to be different,” Jonathan explains, “and putting a lot of thought into different textures and shades helps to give their projects exclusivity. In addition, different combinations of brick and mortar enormously increase the range of design possibilities, substantially changing how the brick appears.”
All About Bricks is a model of how to supply individual requirements to order, offering multiples of choice, while stressing the high quality of the materials. The company’s own Risjwaard brick production is based in Holland, along with its manufacturing partners Daas Baksteen. Its other partners are Egernsund Tegl in Denmark and Celina Klinker in Germany.
“This gives us access to a unique range of European inspiration and design. Offering choice combined with individuality is the key to successfully working with architects,” Jonathan states.
Flexibility and Aesthetic Value
Bricks have a high compressive strength, which means they can be used to construct ambitious structures in terms of both size and function. The aesthetic appeal of specialist brick designs adds value to this durability.
“Using brick can greatly simplify the construction process but the type of brick can actually bring a whole new feeling of sophistication to a building’s character”
Jonathan Plews, All About Bricks
Centuries on from the time of Augustus, and what was once the humble brick is now a key element in realising aesthetic architectural ambitions.
If you would like add sophistication to a building’s character, please call All About Bricks on 0845 2300 941. Alternatively, you can view some of their projects here.
