The Brick Award is an internationally-renowned biennial prize that pays homage to modern innovative brick architecture showcasing how various ceramic materials can be used to make walls, façades, roofs and floors. The biennial prize was introduced in 2009 and has reached its 9th edition.
“Architecture has an important role mediating between people and the environment. In urban areas in particular, we see the need for innovative approaches and the creation of appealing residential and non-residential environments,” observes Heimo Scheuch, President of the Wienerberger Group Board of Directors. Architecture must constantly reinvent itself working with new shapes, materials and concepts. In addition to aesthetic aspirations, there are rigorous technical standards and increasingly demanding quality requirements to be met. The importance of topics such as sustainability, energy-efficiency and recyclability has nowadays become evident as much as imperative. At the same time, the affordability of buildings is an essential aspect to bear in mind. “The Brick Award provides architects from all over the world the chance to showcase their latest creative and innovative brick projects. It has the purpose of inspiring both architects and people to share their design concepts and explore new ways to build. 2020 represents the ninth time Wienerberger will present this internationally-renowned prize. This year, a record number of 644 projects in 55 countries was submitted by 520 architects,” stresses CEO Heimo Scheuch.
The members of the jury: For the Brick Award 2020, the jury was made up of 5 internationally-renowned architects:• Helena Glantz, Urban Design (Sweden)
• Toni Gironès Saderra, Estudi d’Arquitectura Toni Gironès (Spain)
• Tina Gregoric, Dekleva Gregoric Architects (Slovenia)
• Mette Kynne Frandsen, Henning Larsen Architects A/S (Denmark)
• Jonathan Sergison, Sergison Bates Architects (United Kingdom)
The nominees: 644 projects in 55 countries were selected this year. 50 projects were nominated and selected by the jury for the final session.
The prize: the prize amounted to a total of €29,500 in five categories. A jury of experts guaranteed an objective selection procedure. Wienerberger had no say on the jury’s decision and projects did not necessarily have to employ Wienerberger solutions. The official award ceremony took place online on 23rd September 2020. The winners were not made known before said date.
The winners:- Winner of the Grand Prize Winner and winner of the “Sharing public spaces” category: University of Silesia, Faculty of Radio and TelevisionProject location: Katowice, Poland
Architects: BAAS Arquitectura (Barcelona/Spain) with Grupa 5 architekci (Warsaw/Poland) and Małeccy biuro projektowe (Katowice/Poland)
- Winner of the “Living together” category: Prototype Village House
Project location: Kigali, Rwanda
Architects: Rafi Segal, MIT Rwanda Workshop Team (US), Rwanda Housing Authority (Rwanda)
- Winner of the “Feeling at home” category: Iturbide Studio
Project location: Mexico City, Mexico
Architects: Taller Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo (Mexico City/ Mexico)
- Winner of the special prize of the “Feeling at home” category: Can Jaime I n´Isabelle Project location: Palma, Spain
Architects: TEd'A arquitectes (Palma/ Spain)
- Winner of the “Working together” category: City Archive Delft Project location: Delft, The Netherlands
Architects: Office Winhov (Amsterdam/Holland) & Gottlieb Paludan Architects (Copenhagen/Denmark)
- Winner of the “Building outside the box” category:Maya Somaiya Library
Project location: Kopargaon, India
Architects: Sameep Padora & Associates (Maharashtra/India)
