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Flexible, fascinating, and fitting
Jordan Perlman of Newground Architects explains that although a time- honoured material, brick has limitless possibilities for designers, illustrated by a recent mixed use scheme in London
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n the six years since our practice was founded, we have used brick in a range of projects, and in all sorts of applications. We continue to explore its possibilities. Besides its aesthetic qualities, we have found that using it as a base material complements and reflects the way we like to work as designers. Brick is such a simple ordering device; inherently rational but also flexible. Using one base component, you can set up infinite possibilities. From an intrinsically ordered starting point, the possibilities for creating something extraordinary are limitless, but designing with brick requires rigour at every scale. The principles that apply at detail level can be applied at all scales. At the heart of any brick building lies the bonding – the way these elemental components are put together. Ingenious combinations have been developed and tested over millennia, with solutions driven as much out of practicality as aesthetics. Colour and texture add another dimension. Whether it is through the deliberate choice of a particular brick colour, tone or texture, or comes about as a result of the inherent randomness derived out of the natural clays, additives or firing process, no two brick solutions ever need to be the same. Although it is not immediately apparent why or how, the order of a brick facade often resonates with those who experience it. The repetition of components at a range of scales, as we so frequently observe in nature, is something that elicits a human response. And repetition, offset by differences, where there is a need for them, often creates even more inspiring results. As buildings and technology evolve, brick has managed to keep up and adapt. It can be used completely honestly – as in a simple load-bearing garden wall – or, as is increasingly the case, as a facing material to more complex wall build-ups. The challenge here is to reconcile the expression of the brick relative to its function, and this is something designers are grappling with. This is particularly true given the ever more ambitious energy performance targets we are setting for our buildings and the evolving technologies and processes involved in the construction of modern buildings.
ADF MAY 2019
REHEARSAL ROOMS
The Rehearsal Rooms Build to Rent scheme in North Acton, London, provides 173 flats across two multi-storey blocks with large, sheltered balconies, and is clad in brick selected for its hand-made appearance
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