2017 THINK BRICK AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Crescent House by Deicke Richards – Winner of the Bruce Mackenzie Landscape Award

It was no easy task for the judging panel to narrow down the hundreds of entrants for this year’s five categories. With entries from across Australia demonstrating the versatility of clay brick, concrete masonry and roof tiles in their projects, the judge’s had their work cut out for them.   

Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO of Think Brick Australia, said, “Once again the calibre of entries was inspiring. This year we saw some impressive innovation in the use of brick, masonry and roof tiles that really pushed the boundaries of contemporary architecture. We saw design that was unexpectedly delightful and playful, design that displayed sophisticated reimagining of classical shapes, and also projects that redefined the concept of a simple brick building.”

The revamped Macarthur Place by ASPECT Studios in Ultimo, Sydney.

The 2017 Think Brick Award category winners were:

• Crescent House by Deicke Richards – Winner of the Bruce Mackenzie Landscape Award
• Barkers Road Townhouses by Kavellaris Urban Design – Winner of the Horbury Hunt Commercial Award
• House Au Yeung by Tribe Studio Architects – Winner of the Horbury Hunt Residential Award
• Perimeter House by MAKE Architecture – Winner of the Kevin Borland Masonry Award
• Kempsey Crescent Head Surf Life Saving Club by Neeson Murcutt Architects – Winner of the Robin Dods Roof Tile Excellence Award

Across the five categories, 21 finalists were selected with the above five winners each receiving a cash prize of $10,000 for demonstrating original and new designs in their particular category.

The Turruwul Park Fitness Hub by Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture in Sydney.

Other finalists in the Bruce Mackenzie Landscape Award category included the following works:

• The revamped Macarthur Place by ASPECT Studios in Ultimo, Sydney which used bricks as a way to reinforce the park’s geometry in order to create relaxing spaces.
• The Turruwul Park Fitness Hub by Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture in Sydney, the first of a network of outdoor fitness facilities which used brick to connect the hub to the existing internal park to give it a distinct characteristic.
• Sydney Park’s Water Re-use Project by Turf Design Studio used recycled brick to interweave through the landscape alongside new layers of robust, elemental concrete.
• The Bends Pool by Room 11 Architects is part of a home high above Hobart with a seamless landscape design making use of blockwork that is perfectly integrated into the house.

The Bends Pool by Room 11 Architects.

The award ceremony took place at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne and was the associations largest gala dinner to date.

“The gala dinner was our biggest yet with the Australian architectural community celebrating our well-deserving winners, and not only recognising so many excellent examples of using brick in contemporary design and architecture, but also celebrating innovation, forward thinking and how far the industry has come,” said Ms McIntyre.

Sydney Park’s Water Re-use Project by Turf Design Studio.