Robust in Red – Bruce Street by Carr x Brickworks
Carr architects collaborated with Brickworks to create a robust, layered façade for Bruce Street, an eight-storey development that reflects the vernacular of the Kensington industrial precinct in Melbourne.
To create a building that responded beautifully to the existing industrial landscape of Kensington, an inner Melbourne suburb dotted with red-brick warehouses, grain silos and a 1901 woolstore, architectural firm Carr opted for Nubrik’s Traditional Chapel Red. “Brick was an obvious choice as the predominant architectural material,” says Stephen McGarry, Associate Director at Carr. “If you didn’t use brick for that building, considering it was the first development of scale in the area, then it would become somewhat alien rather than in conversation and unison with the context. The Nubrik bricks we chose were the perfect rust-red colouring.”
Bruce Street, an eight-storey commercial development, offers a contemporary injection into the streetscape yet simultaneously references its surroundings. “At the conception of any project,” Stephen says, “I take advantage of its textural and historical context as a rich backdrop to positively add to. Bruce Street is a prime example of this.”
It consists of concrete slabs spliced with red-brick piers, balanced with fine metal balustrades; the series of slab edges echo the horizontal banding of neighbouring warehouses. There are two lobbies side-by-side on the ground floor, with shared amenities including two commercial meeting spaces and extensive end-of-trip facilities. On the upper levels are office spaces that feature deep balconies, large operable windows and sliding doors for natural ventilation.
Sustainability is embedded in every aspect of Bruce Street, and bricks were crucial to this ethos, chosen for their resilience, endurance and low maintenance. “Bricks are highly durable and rooted in craftsmanship,” Stephen says. “And they possess a range of environmental and commercial benefits. Bricks have thermal mass qualities to reduce heating costs during winter and cooling in the summer. Highly resilient to water or sun exposure, bricks are also fireproof and an ideal noise-cancelling solution. From a financial perspective, they have longevity and robustness. Brick is a material that won’t date visually or functionally, but rather add to the rich context and fabric of its location.”
Carr utilised brick on the west façade to create large blade walls to help shade against the western sun, framing views and creating external shaded social spaces for tenants. “The hit-and-miss brickwork also allows additional filtered natural light and a layer of articulation and craftmanship to the façade.” Along with its robust façade and enduring clay paving, the building is entirely gas free – a pioneering example of passive design. Materials were locally sourced where possible: the Cathedral Traditional Red brick is manufactured at Brickworks’ Victorian plant.
“Brick is self-consciously the fabric of many cities’ and people’s psyches. This results in more engagement with the building due to its commonality and familiarity,” Stephen says. A direct response to its streetscape and environmental imperatives, Bruce Street embodies both the power of brick and the art of negotiating heritage in a development context.
