Free lecture on the inventive use of brick in façades
(18/05/2010)

Beautiful buildings and creative brick-based architecture will be the subject of the next Wienerberger-sponsored lecture from architect and TV presenter Angela Brady. Director of Brady Mallalieu Architects, Angela is a keen advocate of brick, as demonstrated in many of her recent projects.

The Wienerberger RIBA lecture takes place at 66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD on Wednesday, May 26th from 6.30pm. The event is free but spaces are extremely limited and anyone wanting to attend should register their interest.

Focusing initially on the inventive use of brick in the façade of several Brady Mallalieu designs and some of the recent Wienerberger Brick Award winners, Angela will also discuss the safety credentials of this robust, sustainable material. In light of several high profile fires in timber frame construction projects, the reliability of building materials is coming under increased scrutiny and is the subject of much discussion within the industry.

Angela will use her address to inspire fellow architects, students, and guests, to ‘think brick’ in their designs. She said: “Brick has long been a favourite building material for me, it has such an enduring appeal and allows real creativity to flow through the design. Brick is such a great material to experiment with and its small unit size, can be used to large and small scale effect. It is an important material in British architecture and, as an external examiner at the Mackintosh school of architecture, I always ask students ‘what’s the size of a brick?’ and find their answer tells you a lot about their knowledge.

“Its versatility makes brick an ideal material to be creative and in particular allows young architects to express modern concepts while retaining a link to the historic British vernacular. Its additional safety credentials – as a fire retardant material with inherent strength – allows architects to focus on the designs without having to worry that they are compromising on safety.”

Her talk will be the fourth in a series of lectures sponsored by Wienerberger and will be held at the RIBA headquarters in London on Wednesday, May 26th. The world’s largest brick manufacturer is hosting the event in order to encourage architects and specifiers to consider using brick and appreciate the benefits of using a natural clay products in modern methods of construction.

Previous Wienerberger-sponsored lectures have been given by former RIBA presidents Maxwell Hutchinson and George Ferguson, and architect, historian and academic Dr James Campbell. Mark Morris, Wienerberger’s sales and marketing director, said the lecture series had proved to be very popular with members of the architectural community and expected a good turnout for the fourth.

He said: “Angela is a great enthusiast of natural materials and has been responsible for some incredible brick-based buildings throughout her career. We are thoroughly looking forward to hearing her views on the use of brick in modern residential projects, as I’m sure will many of her fellow architects who are set to join us for the lecture.

“Clay brick is has remained a very popular building material throughout history. It is an extremely flexible product, ideal for providing both strength and beauty in the design of new buildings, offering peace of mind when it comes to fire resistance and durability, and it is fantastic to see how brick is put to use through the creativity of talented architects right across the country.”