Class clay: the 2016 Brick Awards winners

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Brick Awards laud innovative projects featuring clay bricks and pavers. On a mission to demonstrate the versatility of the material across the building industry, the Brick Development Association awards its members for craftsmanship, design and skill.

Out of the 14 awards, Caruso St John’s Newport Street Gallery was the notable receiver of three, scooping the BDA Craftmanship, Best Public Building, and the Best Specialist Brickwork Contractor awards – the latter going to Grangewood Brickwork Specialists, who worked on not only Newport Street but also London’s Gagosian Gallery, together with TateHindle architects.

Elsewhere in the UK, Best Outdoor Space went to Maggie’s Centre in Manchester by Foster + Partners, where Staffordshire Blue plain clay pavers, carpeted with plants, roll out from interior to patio. First prize for Innovative Use of Brick and Clay Products was awarded to Harvey Nichols in Birmingham by Virgile + Partners, who used Dudley Blue extruded brick slips to weave an interior backdrop feature.

Duggan Morris Architects picked up Best Refurbishment for its use of reclaimed bricks at New Loom House in East London, a converted wool mill originally built in the 1870s. The arched pavilion of the Brentwood School Learning Resource Centre in Essex, designed by Cottrell & Vermeulen and built with a distinct Ibstock brick in heritage red blend, nabbed the Best Education Building title.

The Gort Scott's Hills Road development in Cambridge won Best Commercial Building using a Coleford mixed antique brick

A series of housing gongs form a number of the remaining categories: DallasPierceQuintero’s Courtyard House won Best Individual Housing Development; Foundry Mews by Project Orange and Hindmans Yard by Foster Lomas Architects jointly received Best Small Housing Development; Hawkins\Brown scooped Best Large Housing Development for the first phase of its Peabody estate, St John’s Hill; and Best Large House Builder Award was awarded to Linden Homes in Gloucester.

Best Urban Regeneration project went to Allies and Morrison for its Block E West Hendon masterplan using a soft yet solid Cambridge cream brick from Wienerberger. Meanwhile, in Cambridge city, Best Commercial Building went to Gort Scott’s Hills Road project.