The brick: the most humble and commonplace of objects. Yet this unassuming building material is also the foundation – literally – of some of the world's most extraordinary structures.
The brick has its moment biannually at the Brick Awards, a ceremony held in Vienna and presented by building solutions company Wienerberger, which brings together the finest examples of brick and ceramic architecture from around the globe. This year's six winners were selected from a shortlist of 50 projects across 21 countries – and together, they prove that one of humanity's oldest building materials remains as vital and versatile as ever.
Grand Prize award: Đạo Mẫu Temple and Museum, Vietnam
The evening's highest honour went to this 5,000-square-metre temple and museum in Soc Son, designed by ARB Architects for folk artist Xuân Hinh. A carbon-negative project, it upcycled approximately six million clay tiles sourced from more than 500 local homes – forging a literal connection between the building and its community. Spiritual tradition meets contemporary design here with striking results. The project also makes a powerful statement about sustainable architecture's capacity to serve the present while honouring the past.
Feeling at Home award: Ca na Birgit, Mallorca, Spain
This prize went to a compact 194-square-metre home perched on the cliffs of Ses Penyes Rotges, designed by TEd'A Arquitectes. Using locally sourced brick, the architects solved a seemingly impossible brief – face the sea but remain hidden from neighbours – with elegant simplicity: two deep parallel walls that frame the view while ensuring complete privacy.
Living Together award: mixed-use residential development, Barcelona, Spain
Peris+Toral Arquitectes created 54 social rental apartments centred around a bioclimatic ‘Social Atrium’ connecting homes with ground-floor communal amenities. Biomass-fired brick on both interior and exterior facades acts as a natural thermal regulator – warm in winter, cool in summer.
Working Together award: La Hacienda Jalisco, Mexico
Atelier Ars designed a warehouse and office complex for tequila producer Clase Azul using local ceramics and stone excavated from the site itself. Viewed from the east, the building rises as a 'ceramic horizon', its clay-clad roof dissolving into the volcanic terrain.
Building Outside the Box award: Endless Brick Playground, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China
Perhaps the most unexpected winner was not a single building, but the cumulative result of a decade-long undergraduate masonry course. Since 2014, nearly 80 students have constructed 48 brick structures on the same site – some dismantled each year to make way for new ones – creating a shifting, collaborative environment and a living exploration of brick’s material possibilities.
Special Prize: urban infill project, Belgium
In a first for the awards, the jury introduced a Special Prize, presented to Maker for reimagining a neighbourhood of 54 homes in Kortrijk, Belgium, as a contemporary garden city, using reclaimed bricks and tiles throughout.
Wienerberger CEO Heimo Scheuch reflected on the evening: ‘Tonight's winners show the versatility of these timeless materials to address the most pressing needs of climate change and modern living – while still creating wonder and beauty.’