Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull once sang “And your wise men don't know how it feels / To be thick as a brick”. I beg to differ. I’ve got some really good ideas about thick bricks.

The Think Brick awards were celebrated in Sydney last Friday. Entitled Continuity, it was the 20th edition of the awards.

I was fortunate to be an initial judge in 2006, and made a return appearance for this year's judging. Over that time, there have been substantial changes and developments in brickwork. One could say harshly, but justifiably, that only a few of those original winners would make the finalists or win an award this year.

I detect three intertwined developments that evolved in twenty years.

There’s a recognition of the materiality of brickwork, a stronger use of its haptic qualities, and of it as consequential rather than a papered veneer. Closely related is the second idea: far greater experimentation, partly delving into the past and partly new creativity. And the third interesting aspect is the brick industry creating new sizes and shapes of bricks to accommodate these two design developments.

Combining these three ideas, I see several different design forms being developed in the responses in this year's awards.

There's a marked improvement in the emphasis on traditional design values for brickwork: king and queen closers, headers, soldier courses, different arrangements and bonds. It all leads to far more visually arresting patterns.

Brick is no longer a thin veneer, a wallpaper. It’s performative: structure, spatial definer, and thermal mass.

There are a couple of textural trends right now: one I’ll call ‘articulated headers’, or perhaps a better name is ‘sticky-out bricks’.

The industry is responding with a wider range of body bricks and blocks and specialities; different sizes and proportions, with a greater number of closers, squints, corners, and specials; all allowing for a greater diversity in brickwork. Me, I love the extended American bricks, so beloved of Frank Lloyd Wright. But I also love a good Art Deco zigzag.

Another revival trend is ‘hit and miss’ in the brickwork, allowing for screening and ventilation at the same time.

A close cousin of the hit and miss is the custom-made ‘breeze block’. From zero to hero in 10 short years, and I blame Sam Marshall and his brilliant book of the same name.

Of course sustainability is to the fore – this building is a giant version of ‘reverse veneer’ – a lightweight, well-insulated exterior with a high-mass interior in the floor and walls (even though it is really the well-tempered exterior!).

Another aspect of sustainability is durability – hardwearing for low demand – and many projects we saw were designed for performance over visuality, emphasising lower weathering and enhancing longevity for minimal maintenance.

The introduction of better colours and textures gives rise (bad pun) to mixed or graded colours, sometimes random, sometimes rising or falling, and often on curved facades. Like this clear winner in the awards.

To see all of the winners and the details of these buildings in full, go to Think Brick Awards Showcase, where you can see the full versions of these images and many more, together with background information on the builders and bricks.

Cross-Sections are Friday musings from Tone Wheeler, following on from Tone on Tuesday columns. Remember: amateurs draw plans, professionals draw sections; never at cross purposes.

Tone Wheeler

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