Identified as small rectangular blocks made of fired or sun-dried clay, bricks have traditionally been used for building pavements, walls and other elements of masonry construction. Laid in courses or rows and joined together with mortar, bricks are known for their strong structural strength and durability. But beyond their basic functional purposes, their multiple patterns, sizes and shapes allow for a distinctive aesthetic with an infinite design versatility, becoming a design feature themselves. Showcasing an example of aesthetic brickwork, we will take a closer look of Villa Peer, an architecture project in Belgium that uses Randers Tegl’s long format waterstruck bricks as the main design feature for the whole building’s facade.
Waterstruck Bricks: Sustainable, Long-lasting and Visually Appealing
Composed of natural materials, waterstruck bricks are fired at high temperatures to eradicate organic materials. While maintaining all the technical qualities that characterize modern bricks and tiles, these bricks are future-proofing projects with sustainable qualities. With a slower deterioration than other materials, it has a higher durability and reduces the risk of wall cracks.
Designed for both exterior and interior spaces, waterstruck bricks stand out for being soft molded and contributing to a comfortable indoor climate (keeping in warmth during winter, while having a cooling effect in summer). This environmentally friendly material comes in a linear format, with the length of two ordinary Danish bricks (234mm) and a height of just 38mm.
Creating a unique and authentic expression, the Ultima series combines craftsmanship with notable materials. This new long and thin brick format enables architecture to create varying surfaces with their own aesthetics. Adding patterns and textures to the building’s facade, their design is strong and weighty, yet soft, and with endless shifts between light and dark.
Enhancing variety within architectural design, this series of bricks come in different colors and tones. Architects can choose either white, earthy, brown, reddish or grey tones depending on the project’s style.
Beyond being a traditional option for building facades, which have been refined and perfected through generations to shield constructions, their use as unique design features enables the articulation of aesthetic construction and modern architecture, both on the inside and outside.
Villa Peer: Stylish Brickwork Facade
Seeking to create a close relationship with the environment, the Belgian Architecture Office UAU Collective maximized the experience of the landscape through panoramic openings, perspectives, natural light and a subtle integration with the street.
Featuring specialized brickwork, Villa Peer combines horizontal and vertical waterstruck brick layouts, emphasizing the volume of the building. While the design uses a vertical position for framing the thickness of the structure’s slab, horizontal bricks are combined to build the walls from the floor to the ceiling. As a complement to these strategies, the facade adds some empty spaces in between the bricks to create a more permeable envelope next to the windows. Thus, transparent brickwork illuminates the structure, promoting transitions and movements of light and shadow through the patterns.
The uniqueness of each brick –and its artisanal qualities– combined with how each wall receives a different amount and type of illumination, create multiple views within the same building, enhancing the value of these authentic patterns. Mixing formats and colors, the facade works with a mix of evergreens and grey colored pattering, creating a visually contrasting and distinctive design which is mesmerizing to the gazing eye.
Besides covering all the sides of the facade, brickwork is also used for exterior walls, whose pattern permeability allows the structure to maintain a connection with its surrounding whilst dividing private from public spaces.
For more inspiration on how to use bricks as a design feature, visit Randers Tegl’s Instagram account.
