The Brick Award: Celebrating Innovative Brick Architecture

A residential building in the heart of the city stands out like a palace, with the skillful use of light and shadow adding a sense of vitality to the elongated brick facade. Beneath the trees in the inner courtyard, a group of elderly residents sits chatting while keeping a watchful eye on the laughing children playing nearby. This building is more than just a place to live; it offers residents a sustainable and for-ever home. The project also shows us what the future can look like – welcome to the World of the Brick Award.

Withstand extreme weather events, regulate the indoor climate and impress with their long lifespan - bricks can do all this and more. Which is why in 2004 wienerberger launched the Brick Award to celebrate the natural and timeless construction material. Every two years, the competition provides a stage for innovative and sustainable building projects from all over the world. The winning entries showcase a wide range of colors, shapes, brick types and manufacturers. Competition judges also appreciate projects that make use of reclaimed clay bricks or that remodel or extend existing properties.

“The Brick Award shines a spotlight on modern and sustainable brick architecture. It gives architects from all over the world the opportunity to submit their work and showcase their outstanding creative skills,” says wienerberger CEO Heimo Scheuch. The independent preselection jury and the jury of internationally renowned architects take a variety of criteria into account when reaching their decisions. These include design, function, closed loop recycling management, energy efficiency, climate resilience and how social issues such as affordable housing are dealt with.

Today, 20 years after the award was presented for the first time, the spotlight will again focus on contemporary brick architecture and the talents behind it. The categories in the Brick Award cover a wide range of building projects - from housing solutions and commercial buildings to public spaces, unconventional buildings and open spaces. All this highlights the varied application options for bricks.

Furthermore, a platform for forward-looking brick architecture has grown up around the award. Symposia broaden the dialogue while InsighTours offer architecture enthusiasts the opportunity to explore a selection of the nominated projects with a local architect. In a nutshell: The Brick Award celebrates not just buildings and spaces, but also a spirit of innovation and responsibility. The award-winning projects and those that receive nominations demonstrate that brick is far more than just a construction material. It inspires timeless, trailblazing design for spaces that people enjoy being in - and in the process, puts the architecture of the future center stage.