A considerable part of architectural innovation involves the use of materials. Technical development and new formal languages utilize them to "announce" the "next" architectural era. Of course, materials are essential for construction and significant for the consolidation of languages. Glass, steel, concrete, or brick convey messages about buildings. However, like any language, the meaning of words can vary according to the prevailing social organization; there is a dispute over the meaning of certain expressions, or there is pressure for the abolition—or at least the dissociation—of certain senses associated with some words. It would not be any different in architecture.
The contemporary context brings pressing demands that require attention, and this review focuses on the materials used in construction. For instance, organic materials make more sense regarding environmental pollution but fall short in when it comes to durability—also highly valued in architecture. Clay brick can be an excellent construction material; it is environmentally responsible and reintroduces traditional and historical techniques and languages. In the general imagination, its disadvantage would lie in formal limitations. However, reality is filled with constructed examples that prove otherwise (thankfully).
Elaborate forms, large openings, and expansive windows typically bring concrete, glass, or metal structures to mind. However, there is the possibility of achieving all these feats with brick. Indeed, the surface won't be smooth, and the appearance will not be sterile or glossy. However, this does not imply it will lack interest. Each piece exhibits tonal variations, contributing to a chromatic gradation across the surface, owing to its organic raw material. Thanks to the shape and dimensions of the blocks, it is possible to take advantage of different arrangements, patterns, and depths to create a visual and tactile texture in the construction—and what pertains to the volume also relates to the effect of mobile light and shadow throughout the day and seasons.
Furthermore, in the case of perforated bricks, it is possible to use the holes to compose facade textures or use them like a mashrabiya. The composition of openwork facades is a common practice with ceramic bricks, which can be "expanded" using the bricks themselves, where the perforated module is formed by repositioned and combined ceramic blocks. As for large openings, Uruguayan architect Eladio Dieste is a prominent representative of reinforced ceramic, resulting in curves and open spans that rival concrete structures of the same kind.
Brick typically remains concealed behind plaster and mortar in walls, representing the "ground zero" of construction. The examples below demonstrate that this element deserves the same reverence, exploration, and spotlight as any other material. Rusticity does not mean a lack of technical sophistication. Ceramic brick is leading the way in redefining this perception.
Marcela House / Erbalunga estudio
“From the outside, the characteristics of Castilian vernacular architecture are preserved. Thick, poorly perforated walls shape the street boundary and create a barrier to its interior life. But in the courtyard, these walls are transformed into much more permeable, lightweight skins, endowed with great efficiency, which manage to interweave visual references through the courtyard and between the different rooms.”
Metallic Bellows Factory Office / KSM Architecture
“An edifice completely built and finished in a singular material. Is there an opportunity to approach a design from a mono-material perspective? […] When we visited the new development, we passed by quite a few brick kilns. The local soil is clayey in nature, which is ideal for brickmaking. Clay brick, which was available locally as a material, lent a sense of warmth to the space, a connection to the soil that resonated with our thinking. Could brick be our mono material of choice?”
Chile 893 Building / Arq. Natalia Leves
“The predominant use of brick as a material is due to its local availability and the familiarity of the workforce with this construction technique. The brick is developed on the exterior, being a skin that covers the outside of the units and "disassembles" as sunshades on the balconies, considering that the lot has its longest face exposed to the west. Screening has been used as a regulating device for this orientation, giving character to the entire construction.”
Canvas House / Partisans
“The facade's unmodulated pattern, formed by a repeating unit of five bricks, is inspired by Larry Poons' early works. Optics are accomplished by pairing the single-colored brick with individually improvised corbel variations, allowing the design to showcase the brick's ability to encapsulate the elegance of a Georgian home without relying on traditional forms.”
Igreja de Jesús Obrero / Eladio Dieste (article by Carlos Eduardo Dias Comas, photography by Marcelo Donadussi)
“The curvature of the shell imparts a unique and varied condition to both the exterior and interior volumes. The additive nature of the brick provides texture and vitality to the surfaces, and the structural choice adds exceptional interest to the project.”
Tlatenchi House of Culture and Children's Garden / Taller CD
“A key element was the contemporary incorporation of the brick vault, which in modern architecture allows for the use of its structural functionality, versatility, and expressiveness. This approach implied a review of the craftsman's trade who builds it, whose knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation in Tlatenchi, as well as the integration of materials with the particular dimensions of the site and the era in which it is located.”
Fachinetto Ceramic Museum / Brasil Arquitetura
“The columns must be made one by one in anomalous organic shapes of mixed bricks (whole and broken). They will be like large sculptures that will support the roof slab. A large 45 cm thick brick wall guides the entire project and uses of the museum. This wall functions as a large backbone, 35 meters long, oriented exactly north/south. This wall should be entirely made of bricks laid with various types of rigging, showing the intrinsic richness of the ancient technique of masonry. It is an integral part of museography.”
Psicoarquitetura / Oscar Abraham Pabón at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona
“A wall is materialized over the Pavilion's pond using fired earth blocks (Calibric ONE), and a new inkblot drawing is engraved on its surface. This drawing emerges from the author's interpretation, establishing a connection with the Pavilion and its reflection in the water. The clay block is presented as an object of interpretation. The wall serves as a surface or skin that brings an internal dimension to the forefront through its various layers, not only encapsulating the material's construction history but also highlighting its significance in 20th-century architecture and urbanism.”
Casa Tijolo / AZL architects
“The bricks were crafted from clay and local knowledge, utilizing specialized craftsmanship in the region to compose the structure and facades. Various textures of bricks were manufactured for the facade. An interwoven pattern creates openings between the bricks, and protruding bricks cast shadows along the wall. The windows accentuate the texture, and the masonry establishes a geometric relationship while remaining loyal to structural logic.”
Biblioteca Maya Somaiya, Sharda School / Sameep Padora & Associates
“At this point, we were captivated by the material efficiencies of the Catalan tile vault from the 16th century, its use by Gustavino in the early 19th century, and finally the incredible details from the work of Eladio Dieste from the mid-twentieth century.”
House 9X9 / Oficina de arquitectura X
“The space is constructed with walls and ceilings made of visible ceramic bricks with dry joints using polymeric adhesive, avoiding waste and undesired joints. The atmosphere is created through careful and excellent management of light. If the number excites, is it Architecture or Construction?”
Brick House / Ventura Virzi arquitectos
“We have also adopted a wall system to protect from the sun, built out of ceramic bricks and designed according to the terms of Wladimiro Acosta, that consists of a set of slab and studs as a solar protection frame in front of the building, regulating sunlight and creating a shadow enclosure during summer, creating a wind effect on the walls of the building that Acosta denominates Thermal Aura.”
