BIA honors the best in brick design

Words: Lorelei HarloeThe Brick Industry Association (BIA) has honored outstanding design incorporating genuine clay brick for both aesthetics and sustainability. Offering architects an increasingly wide palette of colors, textures and shapes for exterior and interior expression, the 2012 Brick in Architecture Award winning projects span 28 states and include commercial, educational, health care, houses of worship, municipal/government, paving and landscape architecture, multifamily and single family residential.

“As a versatile building material made in America made from abundant natural resources, there is no substitute for genuine clay brick,” said BIA President and CEO Gregg Borchelt, P.E. "Unlike manufactured masonry products, brick fired from genuine clay offers permanent, through-body color, proven performance and natural beauty that imitation products just can’t match," he said.

In addition to competitive benefits over other exteriors, brick offers great freedom to match the architect’s imagination and desires as well as an essential element of sustainable design. Atlantic Wharf, Boston, Mass., the Best in Class commercial category winner, used a combination of existing and new brick types for both the residences and offices. The 1,200,000 s.f. mixed-use complex is also Boston's first LEED Certified Platinum high-rise.

"Integrating old and new brick was important to maintain the historic character of the area," said Associate Principal Philip Casey, AIA, LEED AP, CBT Architects, Boston. "A lot of effort went into matching mortar to maintain the historic context," he said. "Brick was also an integral part of our objective to achieve LEED Platinum in the Building Reuse category."

The North Carolina State University chancellor's residence, named The Point, won Best in Class in the residential single family category. The 5,400-s.f. residence (comprising 3,100 s.f. of living quarters) was designed by North Carolina Statue University led by Marvin Malecha, FAIA, dean of the NC State University College of Design and president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Genuine clay brick was part of the sustainable materials selected, including solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling.

Malecha said that the residence was designed to represent NC State and North Carolina as a "mini stimulus" to help boost the state's jobs and materials. "We wanted it to not only be beautiful and adaptable to the ways it will be used, but also be built using sustainable practices," said Malecha in an NC State article.

The 2012 Best in Class winners include:

Commercial


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Atlantic Wharf

Atlantic Wharf

Boston, Massachusetts

Architect

CBT Architects

AssociateArchitect

Building Conservation Associates

Builder

John Moriarty & Associates

Mason Contractor

A. Jandris & Sons, Inc.

Owner

Boston Properties, Inc.

New Brick Wall Contractor

Phoenix Bay State Construction

Restoration Contractor

Grande Masonry

Education


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The Ogden International School of Chicago

The Ogden International School of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Architect

Nagle Hartray Architecture

Landscape Architect

Terry Guen Design Associates

Associate Architect

Schroeder Murchie Niemiec Gazda-Auskalnis Architects, Ltd.

Builder

Turner Construction Company

Mason Contractor

Illinois Masonry Corporation

Structural Engineer

Matrix Engineering Corporation

Client

Public Building Commission of Chicago on behalf of Chicago Public Schools

Health Care


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VIP Community Services, Men’s Residences

VIP Community Services, Men’s Residences

New York, New York

Architect

WASA/Studio A

Landscape Architect

WASA/Studio A

Mason Contractor

Procida Construction

Houses of Worship


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Chapel and Administrative Wing, DuPage A.M.E.

Chapel and Administrative Wing, DuPage A.M.E.

Lisle, Illinois

Architect

Harding Partners

Builder

Moreton Construction

Manufacturer

Hanson Brick

Mason Contractor

J and E Duff

Municipal/Government


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Wylie Civic Complex

Wylie Civic Complex

Wylie, Texas

Architect

Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture, with Architexas

Mason Contractor

DMG Masonry Limited

Paving & Landscape Architecture


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Carmel City Center

Carmel City Center

Carmel, Indiana

Architect

Pedcor Design Group, LLC

Builder

Smock Fansler Corporation

Manufacturer

The Belden Brick Company

Distributor

Indiana Brick Corporation

Mason Contractor

Smock Fansler Corporation

Developer

Pedcor City Development Company

Construction Manager

Signature Construction

Structural Engineer

McComas Engineering, Inc.

Civil Engineer

Kimbley & Proctor, Inc.

Residential - Multi-Family


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Bud Clark Commons

Bud Clark Commons

Portland, Oregon

Architect

Holst Architecture

Mason Contractor

J&S Masonry

General Contractor

Walsh Construction

Client

Home Forward

Residential — Single Family


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The Point | NC State University Chancellor’s Residence

The Point | NC State University Chancellor’s Residence

Raleigh, North Carolina

Architect

North Carolina State University

Landscape Architect

Office of the University Architect

Associate Architect

Weinstein Friedlein Architects

Builder

Rufty Homes

Manufacturer

Triangle Brick Company

Mason Contractor

Capitol City Masonry

BIA's annual awards program started in 1989 and includes entries throughout North America. This year’s judges include Steven Ansel, the S/L/A/M Collaborative, Gastronbury, Ct.; Jack LaQuatra, CLARB, ALSA, LaQuatra Bonci Associates, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Nicholas Papaefthimiou, ZGF Architects, LLP, Washington, D.C. and Sean Stadler, AIA, LEED AP, WDG Architecture, Washington, D.C. Offering a 100-year lifespan as compared to vinyl siding with a 25- to 50-year life span, genuine clay brick exteriors also offer low- to no maintenance, superior performance in extreme weather conditions, moisture resistance, durability, a minimum one-hour fire rating, seismic strength, termite resistance, thermal mass and natural beauty. Brick homes also use one to two percent less energy than vinyl-clad homes.

The complete list of winners including the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners is available at www.gobrick.com.
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