Building products manufacturer Forterra is celebrating after a successful night at the Brick Development Association’s Brick Awards 2019, where it picked up three awards for The Interlock and was highly commended for York House.

Image caption: The Interlock, whose façade is made from Forterra’s Staffordshire Blue Clay bricks.

The Interlock – a newly-built, five-storey building in London’s Fitzrovia, which blends historic and contemporary aesthetics – won the Innovation, Small Housing Development and Architects Choice awards for Forterra and Bureau de Change Architects. The development was among nine projects shortlisted in the Small Housing Development category, and was one of six shortlisted for Innovation.

York House, a 1980s office building in Kings Cross which has recently been transformed into a contemporary, high-specification work space in an ambitious collaboration between Forterra and architects dMFK, was highly commended in the Innovation category. 

Forterra’s Cradley Special Brick division provided bespoke bricks for both projects: Staffordshire Blue Clay bricks with a matt finish for The Interlock, and a Blue Brindle for the façade of York House. 

Forterra additionally sponsored the House Builder category and is also a patron of CRASH, the chosen charity for this year’s awards, which were held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel close to Hyde Park, London.

The judges were full of praise for The Interlock, calling it “a highly impressive design well executed by a supply chain working closely together. The use of 3D modelling and printing of formwork for the placement of bricks opens the window on the future of our trade.”

Speaking about the building’s innovation and design, the judges added: “Whilst not an innovation in the traditional ‘product’ sense this is a highly innovative use of 3D design and collaboration with a manufacturer to produce a unique façade. This along with the innovative use of printed templates, which essentially produce a ‘Lego’ map for the positioning of bricks, could greatly enhance the use of more complex or dynamic brick facades and increase both quality and productivity of workmanship.

“The façade is an exceptional design showing phenomenal attention to detail. The innovative use of 3D design and bespoke brick manufacture shows just what a versatile material brick can be. Brick is the most appropriate choice in the locality. Even though it is a blue brick rather than red or yellow, the brick blends an audacious design into context.

“This is a great advert for the use of brick in high quality designs,” the judges concluded.

Image caption: The latticed façade of The Interlock, featuring Staffordshire Blue Clay bricks produced by Forterra’s Cradley Special Brick division.

Stephen Harrison, Chief Executive of Forterra, said: “We are honoured to have received recognition in several areas for our contributions to the magnificent Interlock and York House projects. Both buildings showcase the expertise and vision of our design and technical departments, as well as the superior knowledge of our Cradley Special Brick team.

“As a leading British manufacturer of building products, we are proud to work in close collaboration with architects, contractors and developers, creating products whose calibre and aesthetic appeal elevates the projects they form part of.”

For more information about Forterra, please visit forterra.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram via @ForterraUK, or subscribe to the Forterra YouTube channel.