![Book Flatlay Cover Front Transparent Trio[1]](https://d31dpzy4bseog7.cloudfront.net/media/2024/06/07080212/Book_Flatlay_Cover_Front_Transparent_Trio1.png)
Brickworks’ future-forward thinking
How Brickworks is addressing three major factors determining the way in which we, as a nation, create a cleaner, greener future.
The Australian construction industry has endured numerous changes, challenges and innovations over the past decade as we strive to build a more sustainable future. Underpinning the push towards a cleaner and greener nation are the concepts of resilience in architecture and design, multi-generational households and building for longevity.
Resilience is engendered by specifying sustainable natural materials, ultimately chosen to increase a space’s lifespan through the robust nature of long-lasting products. Brickworks – an Australian company committed to an additional 15 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 across combined Australian and North American operations – is dedicated to creating resilient buildings through the very nature of the product for which it is named, the brick.
Multi-generational building design is achieved through several key factors, including resilience of the building materials, sustainability considerations and the timelessness of the design. Brickworks, renowned for producing inherently beautiful products, also strives to promote the importance of designing for increased longevity, while positioning bricks as the ideal material for creating timeless buildings. This position is seen through key case studies from within its portfolio of architecturally designed residential projects across Australia.
Bronte House by Tribe Studio Architects exemplifies resilient design principles while generating sustainable outcomes. Architect Hannah Tribe specified Chillingham White from the Bowral Bricks range in response to Bronte’s natural typology. A long-time collaborator of Brickworks, Tribe chose brick for its acoustic and thermal qualities, as well as for its ability to create a sense of calm within the interiors. Offsetting the solid beauty of concrete, brick provides a sense of strength, permanence and solidity to the home, a true city beach house, designed and built to withstand the test of time from both environmental and design perspectives.
From the eastern suburbs of Sydney to the robust beauty of Tasmania … Harriet’s House by So Architecture is a heritage home set among some of Australia’s harshest climactic conditions and which brings beauty to resilient design principles. Bricks were chosen in this project for their tactility and low-maintenance qualities, perfect complements to Tasmania’s environment and design ethos. So Architecture’s design preserves the existing brick dwelling while introducing modern interventions – a testament to resilient architecture in its purest form.
Our thirst for progress and innovation has led to a culture of creation, often to the detriment of preservation. However, the emergence of resilient architectural practices – supported by long-lasting sustainable materials such as brick – means that Australia, and the world, is setting a course for a future that respects the beauty of the past.
