At the annual Brick Awards held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, the Brick Development Association has announced the winners of this year's categories.
The prestigious awards showcases exemplary clay brick architecture.
The 2021 winners list highlights the significant contributors, including architects, brickwork contractors, developers, clients and brick manufacturers. For a full list of the winners go here.
The award for Supreme Winner went to the Lambeth Palace Library and Ibstock Brick. The scheme also won the award for Best Public Building.
The Supreme award is the highest accolade of the Brick Awards, with the winner being chosen by judges from all category winners in recognition of the project that is ‘most impressive and recognises exemplary planning, design, construction and overall satisfaction of brief’.
Spearheaded by architects Wright & Wright, the Lambeth Palace Library project used a bespoke blend of Ibstock’s Swanage handmade bricks with Ashdown Blue Grey Headers to add additional aesthetic detail to the façade.
The judges said of the Lambeth Palace project: “Phenomenal quality of brickwork and detail. Clearly the result of a highly technical and productive engagement between architect, factor, brickmakers, and brickwork contractors.
“Excellent, courageous and rigorous in its use of brick as a primary cladding material for this important building. The choice and detail of the brickwork is integral to the success of the building, in terms of its relationship and dialogue with Lambeth Palace. The careful mixing and batching of three subtlely different shades of red brick, combined with the restrained use of textured panels and careful proportions of the openings all soften the unapologetically massive volume and give the whole an understated elegance.”
Ibstock secured a total of eight BDA awards and Richard Brown, Marketing Director, Ibstock Clay Division said: “The quality of the projects shortlisted across all the categories of this year’s awards was incredibly high. To have been involved in so many of the winning projects is something we are all very proud of.
“Brick is the most popular façade material in the UK and it is clear to see why when you look at the amazing buildings it is able to create. The beauty, flexibility and versatility of clay bricks along with their durability, excellent technical performance and sustainability credentials is something to be celebrated which is why the Brick Awards is such a popular event, with this year being its 45th year.
“It was especially pleasing to have been involved in so many winning projects across such a range of industry sectors and for so many different bricks from a number of our factories to have been used in these amazing developments. We are very proud of our long-standing heritage in British manufacturing so to have our products showcased in exemplar projects such as these shows we truly are at the heart of building.”
