BIA Announces Winners of 2012 Brick in Architecture Award

The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has recognized outstanding design incorporating original clay brick for both sustainability and aesthetics.

The 2012 Brick in Architecture Award winning projects, offering architects a wide palette of colors, shapes and textures for interior and exterior expression, spans 28 states and the categories include commercial, multifamily, single family residential, health care, educational, municipal/government, houses of worship and paving and landscape architecture.

Gregg Borchelt, P.E., President and CEO of BIA, said that there is no replacement for genuine clay brick, and bricks fired from real clay, unlike fabricated masonry products, offer lasting, through-body color, natural beauty and proven performance.

Bricks also offer great freedom to suit the desires and imaginations of architects and are vital components of sustainable design. Atlantic Wharf, in Boston, Massachusetts, is the Best in Class winner in the commercial category. The 1,200,000-square-foot mixed use complex incorporated both new and existing brick types for offices and residences. It is the first LEED Certified Platinum tower in Boston.

The Point, the new residence for North Carolina State University's chancellor, won the Best in Class award in the residential single family category. North Carolina Statue University, headed by Marvin Malecha, designed the 5,400-square-foot residence. The sustainable materials chosen for the residence include genuine clay brick, geothermal heating and cooling and solar panels.

The annual awards program of BIA was started in 1989 and entries are accepted from all over North America. Judges for this year’s awards program include Jack LaQuatra of LaQuatra Bonci Associates; Steven Ansel of the S/L/A/M Collaborative; Sean Stadler of WDG Architecture; and Nicholas Papaefthimiou of ZGF Architects.

Source: http://www.gobrick.com/