The Brick Development Association, in partnership with The Building Centre, has launched one of the most ambitious expositions of brick contemporary design yet seen in the UK.
The sold-out event marked the beginning of creating a highly active and connected community for like-minded individuals who want to discuss current and future challenges of the brick industry, share knowledge, network and experiment with innovative ways of using brick in modern architecture.
The full-day conference explored the aesthetic possibilities of brick and offered practical guidance to help achieve design ambitions. It brought together world-class speakers such as Alfred Munkenbeck of Munkenbeck + Partners, Nelson Carvalho of Alison Brooks Architects, Stuart Piercy of Piercy & Co, Joe Morris of Duggan Morris and many more, to examine the use of brick as both a façade and structural material.
Simon Hay, CEO of the Brick Development Association comments: “I was delighted to see so many architects, engineers, artists and construction professionals looking for inspiration and first-hand knowledge on how to deliver exceptional results using the medium of brick at our first event.
"On behalf of the BDA I would also like to say a huge thank you to our attendees and great speakers. They were truly inspirational and gave different perspectives and practical ideas on numerous aspects of brick, proving this ancient material stands the test of time and has a place in contemporary design.
"We will endeavour to make Brick Works! Design Day become an annual event and look forward to welcoming even more people to this special day next year.”
Design Day is just the start. Design Works! is a multi-media exhibition drawing together design, sculpture and photography to celebrate brick as an artistic medium. The exhibition displayed in The Building Centre, features original work from Britain’s Alex Chinneck, best known for his artwork From the Knees of my Nose to the Belly of my Toes (2013), creating the illusion that the entire façade of the house had slid into the garden.
Exhibiting alongside Alex Chinneck is Chile’s Fernando Casasempre whose vivid and inspirational sculptures explore the full potential of clay as a creative material. First hitting the headlines in the UK with his 2011 Bricks and Mortar exhibition at Roche Court, Casasempre is probably best known in this country for his monumental 2012 work ‘Out of Sync’: a field of ceramic and steel flowers installed in the courtyard of Somerset House.
Product Designer Iain Howlett, artist Demelza Watts and Maki Suzuki complete the line-up for Brick Works! An exhibition that is designed to blow away any preconceptions of the creative limits of the fired clay material that is brick.
Brick Works! Runs until 10 July at the Building Centre, 26 Store Street, WC1E 7BT.
