Ibstock, the UK’s largest brick maker, scooped a host of accolades at this year’s prestigious Brick Development Association (BDA) Brick Awards, which promote excellence in the use and design of brick – the most popular cladding material in the UK.
With seven outright award wins and a further three special commendations, the awards showcase Ibstock at its best, building on the company’s excellent 10 year track record in winning these awards and demonstrating how the business is driving the brick industry forward through design, innovation, quality and range.
Over the past decade Ibstock bricks have been used in more than 70 of the award-winning categories and six of the supreme winners. This year’s winning projects vividly highlighted the aesthetic appeal, versatility and performance characteristics of Ibstock’s extensive product range across a range of applications and markets.
Leading the way with Best International Project for Phoenix Care Centre in Dublin, the project’s use of planning and design skills were praised by the judges. Ibstock also took the limelight in the RMI category, winning the Best Refurbishment & Renovation award for Alwyne Place in London, a residential extension project. For this project the panel noted the effective yet minimal impression achieved using Ibstock’s Staffordshire slate blue bricks on the ‘beautifully detailed’ extension that worked to enhance the original building.
Ibstock also swept the board in the competitive housebuilding categories, winning Best Volume Housebuilder for its work with Barratt Developments as well as three Best Housing Development awards for 1-5 units (Long Farm, Suffolk), 6-25 units (Hargood Close, Essex) and 26+ units (Royal Road, London). The judges drew attention to clever and creative use of brick detailing and the warmth and depth of colours across these projects, reinforcing the fact that Ibstock has the widest range of bricks available on the market that are suitable for use across developments of all sizes.
Andrew Halstead-Smith, group marketing manager at Ibstock, comments: “It is clear to see that Ibstock continues to lead the way in the brick industry, and we’d like to thank the designers and contractors who have championed brick as their material of choice. We are delighted with the range of awards we’ve won this year, demonstrating just how versatile our range is across a variety of high-quality projects in different sectors – from housebuilding, through RMI, education and healthcare, to name but a few!
“Competition is strong each year, so special recognition by the judges in this, our 10th consecutive winning year, is testament to the hard work and commitment from the whole team at Ibstock, who strive to provide striking brick-based solutions for architects, merchants and end users. We already have some strong contenders for next year’s awards and hope to maintain our success at the 2014.”
The award-winning Ibstock projects included:
- Best International Project – Phoenix Care Centre, Dublin
- Best Refurbishment and Renovation project – Alwyne Place, London
- Best Housing Development – 1 to 5 units – Long Farm, Suffolk
- Best Housing Development – 6 to 25 units – Hargood Close, Essex
- Best Housing Development – 26+ units – Royal Road, London
- Volume Housebuilder Award – Barratt Developments
- Specialist Brickwork Contractor of the Year – Reussir Ltd
The BDA Brick Awards are the premier showcase for the brick industry and Ibstock’s 2013 performance was recognised at the national awards ceremony which took place at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel in London on 14 November.
