[Image above] The Midland Campus at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, won both the International and Craftsmanship Brick in Architecture Awards for 2020. Credit: Brick Industry Association
When I hear the word “brick,” I often imagine an old-fashioned schoolhouse or fire station. But there are many types of bricks and many types of architecture outside these traditional examples—and nothing exemplifies this fact better than the annual Brick in Architecture Awards.
Since 1989, the Brick Industry Association has sponsored the Brick in Architecture Awards to recognize exceptional uses of clay brick in architecture. Traditionally, architectural and design firms could enter their designs in six different categories:
- Commercial
- Education, K–12
- Higher education (colleges, universities)
- Residential, single family
- Residential, multifamily
- Paving & landscaping
The 2020 awards, however, feature three additional categories:
- Historic renovation
- International (project located outside of the U.S., Canada, or U.S. territory)
- Craftsmanship
The Brick Industry Association received 120 entries for the 2020 awards, and from these entries it chose 41 global winners. The winning entries span the United States, Australia, Canada, China, and Germany—with one Best in Class going to a paving design in ACerS’s home city of Westerville, Ohio!
Below are the Best in Class winners for 2020.
Commercial
United States Land Port of Entry
Columbus, New Mexico
Architect: Richter Architects
Brick manufacturer: Summit Brick Company
Education, K–12
Taft Freshman Academy
Chicago, Illinois
Architect: STL Architects
Brick manufacturer: Interstate Brick
Higher education (colleges, universities)
University of Kansas Medical Center Health Education Building
Kansas City, Kansas
Architect: CO Architects
Brick manufacturer: Sioux City Brick (subsidiary of Glen-Gery)
Residential, single family
High Park Residence
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Architect: Batay-Csorba Architects
Manufacturer: Glen-Gery Corporation
Brick distributor: Mason’s Masonry Supply, Ltd.
Residential, multifamily
1720 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Architect: CannoDesign
Manufacturer: Palmetto Brick Company
Brick distributor: Diener Brick Company
Paving & landscaping*
First Responders Park
Westerville, Ohio
Architect: POD Design
Brick manufacturer: The Belden Brick Company
Brick distributor: Hamilton Parker Company
*ACerS headquarters are located in Westerville!
Historic renovation
University of Notre Dame’s Main Building
South Bend, Indiana
Architect: University of Notre Dame
Brick manufacturer: The Belden Brick Company
Brick distributor: Rose Brick
Renovation specialist: Masonry Cosmetics, Inc.
International and Craftsmanship*
Midland Campus, Curtin University
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Architect: Silver Thomas Hanley Architecture / Lyons Architecture
Brick manufacturer: Austral Bricks
*Both of these awards went to the same entry
You can find the complete list of winners here and a photo gallery of the winning projects here. You also can see all of the winning designs in the video below.
Congratulations to all of the 2020 winners—well done!