Engineered for success: Ramboll UK profiled

NPS Tchoben Voss NHow music hotel in Berlin

Double take: Mies van der Rohe’s Ester and Lange villas

FCB Studios in Chelsea, O’Donnell & Tuomey in Belfast

First Person: new BDA chief executive Simon Hay

Technical: prefabricated brick panels in SwitzerlandSUMMER 2011

BRICK

BULLETIN

Fit for purposeThe directors of Ramboll UK,the engineer formerly knownas Whitby Bird, bring a clearperspective to building in brick.Acknowledging the importanceof aesthetics, they also go togreat lengths to research bricksappropriate to the particulardemands that will be placedupon them, as we shall nodoubt see with Ramboll’s most high profile UK project,Herzog & de Meuron’s brickextension to Tate Modern.Katherina Lewis

To find out more about the bricks or paversin featured projects, or to submit work, emailbrick@brick.org.uk or phone 020 7323 7030.

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Contents4 NEWS

From a 19-storey tower in London to abrick toy revival; First Person: Q&A withBDA chief executive officer Simon Hay.

6 PROJECTSNPS Tchoban Voss, McBride Charles Ryan,Dominikus Stark, Architecture Republic,Wingender Hovenier, Feilden CleggBradley Studios, O’Donnell & Tuomey.

14 PROFILESimon Smith and Simon Groves of Ramboll UK on re-engineering brick.

18 PRECEDENTOpen house next month for Mies van der Rohe’s Krefeld villas in Germany.

23 TECHNICALPrefabricated masonry panels byHuggenbergerfries Architekten.

ContactsExecutive editor: Katherina Lewis t: 020 7323 7030 e: brick@brick.org.ukBrick Development Association, The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London, WC1E 7BT

The BDA represents manufacturers of clay brick and pavers in the UK and Ireland andpromotes excellence in the architectural, structural and landscape applications of brickand pavers. The BDA provides practical, technical and aesthetic advice and informationthrough its website www.brick.org.uk, in its numerous publications and over the phone.

ISSN 0307-9325 Published by the BDA ©2011 Editorial/design: Architecture Today plc

FrontispieceLyric Theatre, Belfast,O’Donnell & Tuomey(ph: Dennis Gilbert).

CoverNHow Berlin MusicHotel, by NPS TchobanVoss (ph: René Hoch).

Back coverRehau training centre,Rehau, Germany, byWeber & Würschinger (ph: Stefan Meyer).

BDA member companiesBlockleys Brick t +44 (0)1952 251933 www.blockleys.co.ukBovingdon Brickworks t +44 (0)1442 833176 www.bovingdonbricks.co.ukBroadmoor Brickworks t +44 (0)1594 822255 sales@broadmoor-brickworks.co.ukBulmer Brick & Tile Co t +44 (0)1787 269 232 bbt@bulmerbrickandtile.co.ukCaradale Traditional Brick t +44 (0)1501 730671 www.caradale.co.ukCarlton Brick t +44 (0)1226 711521 www.carltonbrick.co.ukCharnwood Forest Brick t +44 (0)1509 503203 www.charnwoodforest.co.ukChartwell Brickworks t +44 (0)1732 463712 www.chartwellbrickworks.comColeford Brick & Tile t +44 (0)1594 822160 www.colefordbrick.co.ukDunton Brothers t +44 (0)1494 772111 www.duntonbros.co.ukFreshfield Lane Brickworks t +44 (0)1825 790350 www.freshfieldlane.co.ukFurness Brick & Tile Co t +44 (0)1229 462411 www.furnessbrick.comHanson UK t +44 (0)870 609 7092 www.hanson.com/ukHG Matthews t +44 (0)1494 758212 www.hgmatthews.comIbstock Brick t +44 (0)1530 261999 www.ibstock.co.ukKetley Brick t +44 (0)1384 78361 www.ketley-brick.co.ukLagan Brick t +353 (0)42 9667317 www.laganbrick.comMichelmersh Brick & Tile t +44 (0)1794 368506 www.michelmersh.co.ukAJ Mugridge t +44 (0)1952 586986 www.ajmugridge.co.ukNorthcot Brick t +44 (0)1386 700551 www.northcotbrick.co.ukOrmonde Brick t +353 (0)56 4441323 www.ormondebrick.iePhoenix Brick Company t +44 (0)1246 471576 www.bricksfromphoenix.co.ukTyrone Brick t +44 (0)28 8772 3421 www.tyrone-brick.comThe York Handmade Brick Co t +44 (0)1347 838881 www.yorkhandmade.co.ukWH Collier t +44 (0)1206 210301 www.whcollier.co.ukWienerberger t +44 (0)161 4918200 www.wienerberger.co.uk

BRICK BULLETIN SUMMER 2011

ARCHITECTURETODAY

BB SUMMER 11 • 5

NEWS FIRST PERSON

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of a master architect transforming the mate-rial and using it as a cladding while stillretaining the link with the traditional materi-al in its historic surroundings.

A recent example would be Short &Associates’ School of Slavonic & EastEuropean Studies for University CollegeLondon. The building is environmentallyfriendly, utilising the brickwork to assist inproviding thermal mass. The building alsouses English bond, with a traditional mortarand a very high level of workmanship. Whatis particularly encouraging is the reliance on

the skills of the bricklayer to carry out thedesigner’s vision and the innovative bondingand junctions with the part arches.

What technical developments do you anticipate, or would you like to see in brick construction?In recent years the brick industry hasbecome an example to other industries forproduct innovation and invention. With clayas the medium, developments have beenmade in the basic unit, and the material has been used in partnership with othermanufacturers creating innovative systems.

While the standard brick face is215x65mm, in recent years bricks have beenmade in linear lengths up to 440mm and asthin as 40mm. Larger bricks are also nowproduced in dedicated factories in the UKwith a face size of 490x225mm. Designersare thus able to give a brick-faced building adifferent appearance. These larger units andlinear bricks provide a completely distinctiveand modern design combined with thedurability and cost advantages of brickwork.

Simon Hay, who took over as chiefexecutive of the Brick DevelopmentAssociation in March following theretirement of Michael Driver, outlineshis hopes and visions for the future.

Brick slips, either purpose-made or cutfrom bricks, have a range of tested anddurable carrier systems. These systems rangefrom ribbed extruded systems providing aledge to take adhesive fixed slips, to factoryproduced panels that can be easily fixed.Bricks slips can be fixed directly to insula-tion and onto carrier systems mounted oninsulation. These systems using advanceddesign principles give the appearance of traditional brickwork, thus enabling existingproperties with solid walls to have their ther-mal properties enhanced, while retainingthe appearance of traditional brickwork.

In recent years, using both mechanicallykeyed-in water-jet cut bricks and adhesivetechnology, prefabricated brickwork hasbecome standard for fast build and qualityreasons. This has enabled new and complexdesign forms to mesh invisibly with traditional brickwork. Soffits and complextraditional forms can be easily achieved.

Masonry tower gets go-ahead

Glenn Howells Architects has obtained planning approval for a 19-storey residentialtower to be sited on developer Ballymore’sLeamouth Peninsula scheme in east London.The building, which is part of a seven-hectaremasterplan designed by Skidmore Owings &Merrill, will contain 163 mixed-tenure apart-ments together with a public gallery and commercial and retail units on the groundfloor. Conceived as a solid masonry blockwith flush-faced windows and deep recessed balconies, the scheme will include four sky gardens, the largest of which will be locatedwithin a void set into the centre of the tower.The use of masonry will extend to the walls,floors and ceilings. A London stock brick orsimilar is proposed for the envelope in keeping with nearby historic warehouses. The building is due to start on site in January next year with completion in 2014.

New take on an old game

Bembridge-based company Clay Clay hasrevived the miniature brick building kit –a popular construction toy up until the early1960s. Each 1:48 scale Clay Clay Brick BuildingKit includes reclaimed bricks, ‘brick stick’ mortar, a base, plans, and laminated doors and windows. Available kits include a Georgianhouse, a castle and an army barracks. Userscan also design and construct their own build-ings by purchasing extra miniature bricks. In terms of sustainability, the mortar dissolvesin hot water, allowing the bricks to be re-used(details: www.clayclay.co.uk).

What role do you think brick has to play inthe buildings of the twenty-first century?Bricks form part of the fabric of Britain’s history – they are traditional, durable andadaptable, as well as attractive. Made of vitrified clay, they are inert and stable, andeminently suitable for our climate with itsextremes of cold and heat, often in verydamp conditions. Unlike many materials asssociated with lightweight panel structures,bricks have the great advantage of longevity.The fact that some of the oldest man-madestructures are made from burnt clay is a testament to the endurance of the material.Bricks can also be recycled, at best simplyreused and at worst as hardcore.

Masonry walls allow the designer to havefull control over the design performance and specification of the wall. Brickwork isinherently a simple compressive structureand consequently, by following a few simplerules, the designer does not have to rely on a subcontractor to design technical details butcan do the most complex bonding patterns,or simple tones as required.

Brick has strong sustainable credentials.The average brick makes an 80-mile tripfrom factory to site, and this local sourcingprovides employment to rural communitiesand links with the traditional buildings andthe materials indigenous to the area. Theembodied carbon dioxide of a heavyweightmasonry structure can be around five percent greater than a lightweight clad struc-ture. But over the lifetime of the building,because of its thermal mass, a masonry building will use many times less comfortcooling and heating energy so has a lowercarbon footprint.

A brick building will easily last for 150years – sometimes considerably longer – andis capable of adaptation. Masonry buildingscan easily be altered and extended into dif-ferent building types for different uses. Theevidence is all around of brick buildingsbuilt, for example, as warehouses but arenow in use as offices or housing. As climatechange alters our environment the ability ofa masonry building to resist overheating, andmasonry’s resilience to flood conditions, willbecome even more important.

New forms of construction with part pre-fabrication, thin joint technology and linearbricks are all recent interesting innovationsto suit modern construction requirements.

BDA welcomes EU brick tax ruling

The European Commission’s Climate ChangeCommittee has voted by an overwhelmingmajority in favour of adding clay constructionproducts to the Emissions Trading SchemeCarbon leakage list. This allays fears that brickcompanies would be required to ‘buy’ theirallowance after 2020, a measure that couldhave cost the UK industry up to £30m perannum. There were fears that the move wouldhave favoured the importing of bricks fromoutside the EU where they are often manufac-tured to lower environmental standards. The Brick Development Association hasexpressed its gratitude to the Governmentand constituency MPs for their support, andstressed the industry’s committment to furtherreducing emissions and energy usage. • Meanwhile the BDA has published a leaflet,Brick: Building a Sustainable Resource for theFuture, intended for specifiers and supportedby independent assessment (details:www.brick.org.uk/sustainabilitythefacts).

What areas will the BDA focus on in thecoming year?We will continue to push the message thatbrick is both sustainable, economical andgives the designer freedom. On a practicallevel we hope to continue to raise our profile with additional initiatives such as adesign ideas competition for young archi-tects, a Brick Conference at the BuildingCentre, and a series of lectures. We are also looking at the possibility ofestablishing a brick library in centralLondon and an online facility.

We also intend to make our website aneven more useful tool with downloadabledetails and a brick selector. Our CPD pro-gramme will be expanded with new subjectareas and possibly additional presenters. Wewill also continue to monitor technical andlegislative changes and respond and lobby in the brick industry’s interest.

Of course important parts to our key messages continue to be Brick Bulletin andthe Brick Awards. We are particularlypleased to show how brick buildings fromthe UK and around the world can encour-age a cross fertilisation of ideas.

Which brick buildings do you admire?Brick has both a strong historical traditionand yet also links with the Modern Movement.Alvar Aalto’s Säynätsalo Town Hall in Finlandis an example of a seminal brick buildingusing space and massing with masterly skill.

Much of Louis Kahn’s work, such as hisFirst Unitarian Church at Rochester, nearNew York, and his use of a variety of materi-als including the complex handling of brickshow the material’s versatility. Kahn’s Beaux-Arts background and his links with a previ-ous discipline enabled him to use brick as amodular material which is malleable andable to be moulded to the requirements ofform, light and shade.

James Stirling’s History Library atCambridge shows a masterly linkage of newand older technologies. The building is clear-ly using brick as an applied finish as opposedto a loadbearing compressive element. Whileit may be time to review and return brick to acompressive wall, this building is an example

Above Säynätsalo Town Hall, by Alvar Aalto; School ofSlavonic & East European Studies, by Short & Associates.Left First Unitarian Church, Rochester, by Louis Kahn.

McBride Charles Ryan’s extenstion to FitzroyHigh School in Melbourne, Australia, providesresource centres, private study areas and anart/technology studio, for 225 students and 12staff over three floors. Following a ‘team teach-ing’ approach, the spaces are configured formaximum flexibility and accommodate a wide

BB SUMMER 11 • 7 6 • BB SUMMER 11

PROJECTS

Designed by NPS Tchoban Voss, the NHowBerlin Music Hotel is located on the northbank of the River Spree and comprises 310bedrooms, two restaurants, a spa, conventioncentre and underground car park. The accom-modation is split between two seven-storeyblocks connected by a central glazed link.Perched on top of the western block is a three-storey, polished stainless steel-clad volume thatcantilevers 21 metres out over the river belowand is inspired by the crane cabins that are synonymous with the dock area.

A continuous band of curtain walling atground level differentiates the hotel from thesurrounding masonry warehouses. In keepingwith city harbour context, the facades on theupper floors are clad in brown brick punc-tured by irregularly placed square windows.The use of projecting brickwork, combinedwith colour variations in the bricks themselves,creates a stratified appearance that helps toreduce the apparent mass of the building.

Sound and vision

A ‘music and lifestyle’ hotel in Berlinby NPS Tchoban Voss employs boldmassing and stratified brickwork.

MCR’s star turn

Opposite below Ground, sixth and tenth floor plans;detail plan, section and elevation of brick facade.Credits Photos: Wolfgang Reiher (main image), Patricia Parinejad (below).

BV 3873Designhotel nhow Berlin

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BV 3873Designhotel nhow Berlin

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range of activities, from large ‘chalk and talk’lecture-style presentations to medium-sizedseminar groupings and individual study ses-sions. The art/technology studio opens onto agenerous display foyer which can be used forcommunity events. The undulating perimeterwall not only acts as a powerful organisingdevice, but it also optimises teacher/pupilsupervision accross a range of different spaces.

Constructed using a double brick with adeep cavity, the loadbearing external wallsreduce the need for additional framing orbracing. The curvilinear nature of the facades

is emphasised using horizontal bands of differ-ent coloured bricks with a glazed finish.

High levels of thermal mass are achieved byexposing the inner skin of the brickwork andthe underside of the concrete floor slabs. Thishelps to maintain a stable internal climatethroughout the year. A four-metre floor-to-floor height (required to meet the existingschool building at each level) increases thequality of daylight in the deep-plan spaces.

Below Ground, first and second floor plans.Credits Photo: John Gollings Photography.

Credits Photos: Paul Tierney.

Credits Photos: Stefan Mu� ller.

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Back to basics

Courtyard form

An education centre in Ruandaby Dominikus Stark Architektendraws on local building tradition.

Vernacular spectacular

Designed by Wingender HovenierArchitecten, Galenkop is a five-storey, mixed-use residential and commercial building onJan van Galenstraat in Amsterdam. Officeaccommodation is provided at ground level,while the upper floors are divided into apart-ments for senior citizens and maisonettes foryoung families. The dwellings share a com-mon entrance on Admiral de Ruyterweg.

Conceived as a homogenous masonryblock, the fenestration echoes the facades ofa building that previously occupied the site.The use of both horizontal and vertical brick-work is intended to create coherent and con-sistent facades, while also concealing themovement joints. External brick details, suchas the balconies, plinths, roof parapets andornamentation, are rendered in a stylisedmanner that not only complements the localcontext, but also suggests the new spatial programme within.

Architecture Republic’s approach to remodel-ling a red-brick terrace house in Dublin hasbeen to create a single volume that extendsfrom the front door to the rear wall of the site.

This is overlaid with a series of spatial conditions, incorporating varying degrees ofenclosure and expressed in red brick and whitemarble. Three metres – two internal and oneexternal -– are added to the length of the exist-ing house. These are by turn open, closed orglazed. The tripartite division of ‘air, earth andsun’ acts as the gnomon of a sundial,

tracing the movement of light across the brickwall and floor. Carrera marble encases thekitchen and dining space, from which a light-weight steel stair rises to the bedrooms above. A white portal differentiates the polished din-ing area from the carved brick space.

Opposite Detail section and elevation of vented brickfacade at eaves level. Key: 1 ventilation opening with flyscreen, 2 two overlaying bricks, 3 upright stones asends, 4 roof framework, 5 papyrus mats. Below Ground floor plan. Credits Photos: Florian Holzherr.

The Nyzana Education Centre by Munich-based practice Dominikus Stark Architekten islocated on a road connecting two of Ruanda’smost important towns: Kigali and Butare. Inkeeping with local traditions, the 5500 squaremetre scheme is planned around a central piaz-za and has few outward facing openings.Loggias and courtyards create shaded semi-pri-vate areas between the main internal spacesand the public square. Only the dining hall,which is also used for weddings and film screen-ings, opens directly onto the piazza. The simplematerial palette comprises handmade andfired clay bricks, metal windows and roofs,papyrus ceiling linings and wicker-faced doors.

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1 Ventilation opening with fly screen2 Two overlaying bricks3 Upright stones as ends4 Roof framwework5 Papyrus mats

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Credits Photos: Tim Crocker.

Above Detail section through facade. Key: 1 PPC aluminium coping, 2 weep holes, 3 fixings for externalbrickwork, 4 insulation, 5 double header course overwindow, 6 PPC aluminium window head lining, 7 concrete slab, 8 light fittings, 9 PPC aluminium windows, 10 PPC aluminium cill, 11 light gauge metalframing to form external wall, 12 suspended floor, 13 concrete slab, 14 double header course, 15 PPC aluminium soffit lining, 16 insitu concrete column seals, 17 PPC aluminium curtain walling, 18 York stone paving.Below Ground floor plan.Opposite Section; view from Lotts Road South.

Below Ground floor plan. Key: 1 rehearsal, 2 office, 3 void, 4 foyer, 5 studio, 6 studio gallery, 7 backstage, 8 theatre, 9 prop workshop, 10 wardrobe; section. Left In common with the exterior, the internal publicspaces are rendered in red brick, stone and hardwood.Credits Photos: Dennis Gilbert.

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Site specific

Chelsea Academy by Feilden Clegg BradleyStudios accommodates 1060 pupils aged 11-18on a constrained site in south-west London.The massing of the 11,000 square metrescheme responds to its immediate surround-ings, which comprises Lots Road Power Stationto the south, three-storey residential propertiesto the north and east, and commercial studiosto the west. Internally, a series of non-hierarchi-

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios’Chelsea Academy employs brick to complement its varied context.

Waxing lyrical

Won in competition by O’Donnell & Tuomey,the Lyric Theatre is sited between the typicalgrid pattern of Belfast’s brick streetscape andthe parkland setting of the River Lagan.Likened to rocks in a stream, the theatre, stu-dio and rehearsal spaces, are conceived as solid,sculptural brick forms wrapped by transparentpermeable public circulation spaces.

The auditorium with its backstage fly toweris sited away from the street to minimise visualintrusion on the surrounding landscape.Located on the street frontage and incorporat-ing a large picture window, the six metre highstudio space can accommodate end stage, tra-verse, thrust, in the round, cabaret and prome-nade performance arrangements.

All the building materials were selected fortheir longevity and were crafted to weather withage. The envelope is constructed from Belfastred brick, with hardwood timber windows,doors and screens. Brick, timber and stone arealso used for the internal public spaces, as wellas bespoke furniture throughout the building.

O’Donnell & Tuomey’s Lyric Theatre is constructed from Belfast red brick.

cal spaces connected by three lightwells isintended to encourage pupils to learn fromeach other and foster a sense of inquisitiveness.

Externally, the material palette is designedto respond to different light conditions, thechanging seasons and the surrounding con-text. The concrete frame is clad in brick withcream-coloured lime mortar joints brushedflush with the surface to give a monolithichand-crafted appearance. A buff colouredbrick, similar to that of a London Stock, wasspecified in deference to the red brick of thepower station. Gold-coloured window framesand cladding to the lightwell stairs are inspiredby the domes and roofscapes denoting impor-tant buildings within large cities.

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York Stone Pavings

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What is now Ramboll UK and formerly WhitbyBird, was established in London more than 25 yearsago, since when the engineering practice hasworked with architects such as Herzog & deMeuron, Zaha Hadid, David Chipperfield, MichaelHopkins and CZWG. Ramboll acquired WhitbyBird in 2007 and earlier this year Gifford. It nowemploys over 1000 staff across the UK.

Simon Smith and Simon Groves of Ramboll UK discuss their mission to re-engineer brick with John Ramshaw.

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PROFILEo key considerations, and these are responsible fordriving projects towards a ‘raincoat’ or ‘overcoat’philosophy. The former likens the brick envelopeto a cagoule or Gortex jacket, which is largelyimpermeable and has the ability to shed rainwateroff its surface. The latter is reminiscent of a dufflecoat which, although shower-proof will graduallyabsorb moisture and precipitation. It is the thickness of the material or walls that ultimatelydetermines how long the interior remains dry. Inprinciple, the raincoat technique leads to thinner,lighter and harder brick skins with movementjoints to prevent cracking. The overcoat techniquelends itself to thicker brick envelopes typicallygreater than 215mm that are softer, more pliableand often do not need movement joints. These

workmanship. Significantly, Groves remarks that itis one of the most instructive, yet least used docu-ments on masonry design.

Asked if architects generally have a brick in mindat the outset of a building project, Smith replies‘Yes, virtually every time. In my view engineers areoften appointed too late in the design process toinfluence the brick choice. Architects and engi-neers should be discussing the design options forbrick at the earliest opportunity, whether it’s loadbearing, a rainscreen or a half-brick skin. Ifhowever the brick specification is absolutely sacro-sanct with the planning authority or the client,then the engineer should advise on the most suit-able structural system and brick constructionmethod to employ.’

Above One of the most technically innovativebrick projects on which Ramboll is currentlyworking is the Tate Modern extension in Londonby Herzog & de Meuron. The 65 metre high, 11-storey structure will house galleries, seminarrooms, a media lab, restaurant and public roofterrace. The steeply inclined facades will be clad with a state-of-the-art, perforated brick rainscreen that is suspended from a hybrid steel and concrete structural frame and does not require mastic joints (CGI: Hayes Davidson,Herzog & de Meuron).Opposite top Dundee Wharf at LimehouseReach in London by CZWG (1997) employs a stainless steel and mastic approach to brick engineering (ph: Philip Bier).Opposite below Observatory Gardens inLondon (1994) is an example of a re-built load-bearing facade utilising Ramboll’s brick ‘overcoat’ philosophy (ph: Ben Grubb); diagram showingmechanics of brickwork in framed buildings.

thicker walls can support greater loads and lendthemselves to loadbearing structures.

‘Material compatibility is central to thisapproach’, explains Groves. ‘If you specify a softbrick with a hard mortar, you will lose the “overcoateffect” as the wall will crack at the interfacebetween the two materials and rainwater will comestraight through. The impermeability of the hardmortar will also reduce the absorbable surface areaof the wall, reducing its ability to soak up water. Forarchitects wanting to gain a better understandingof the structural and material characteristics of dif-ferent types of brick and mortar, Smith recom-mends British Standard 5628 ‘Code of practice for the use of masonry’ and specifically part three: Materials and components, design and

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Talking with Ramboll UK directors SimonGroves and Simon Smith at its London headquar-ters, it is clear that there is something of a disjunc-tion when it comes to how architects and engineersapproach the design of brick buildings. BothGroves and Smith agree that for many architectsbrick choice is driven – at least initially – by issuesrelating to context, colour, cost and availability. Bycontrast, Ramboll’s starting point is to consider dif-ferent types of brick construction, for exampleloadbearing, self-supporting or clamped solutions,in parallel with the structural and facade design ofthe building. This in turn exerts a great deal ofinfluence on the type of brick and mortar specified. Issues such as masonry strength, waterabsorption, and differential movement also form

invention of galvanised v-ties and shelf angles. Theywere followed by stainless steel versions and thenwind posts, which seem crazy inventions. They wereneeded because all the compression and load hasbeen taken out of the brickwork, making it inher-ently unstable.’ In spite of this, both Groves andSmith admit that using stainless steel and masticcan provide a stimulating engineering challenge,and they have resulted in a number of buildings inwhich they take pride, such as Cascades (1988) andDundee Wharf (1997), both residential develop-ments in London’s Docklands by CZWG.

Over the last ten to 15 years there has been amarked change in Ramboll’s approach to masonrydesign as it has sought to ‘re-engineer’ brick. ‘Wewere using brick within an engineering solution,but there was an element of frustration; we felt weshould be doing something better than this’,explains Groves. ‘We wanted something more hon-est and sustainable. The aim was to use brick forwhat it is capable of doing, rather than throwing 90per cent of its function away and replacing it withstainless steel and mastic.’

A solution that typified this new direction is theuse of clamped masonry on the refurbishment ofWinterton House in Tower Hamlets, east London(1998). Originally built in the 1960s, the 23-storeysteel-framed tower had been clad with precast con-crete panels that had reached the end of their

14 • BB SUMMER 11 BB SUMMER 11 • 15

For Groves it is a question of integration. ‘Wehave come out of a period when traditional mason-ry construction was not particularly popular. Fromaround the late 1990s, curtain walling was the pre-ferred option for many architects and clients on awide range of projects. As engineers we tended totake the view that we were designing the structureand the architect would add the curtain walling.The consequence of this was that brick became

removed from the structural philosophy of thebuilding and sat in a no-man’s land outside theengineer’s remit.’

But this is only part of the story. Groves says thatfundamental changes in building technology thatbecame commonplace in the 1960s and 70s, such as the widespread use of steel and reinforcedconcrete structures, ribbon windows and insulatedcavity walls, challenged the established use of brick-

design life. The building also had wind-loadingissues that caused it to sway excessively. Brick waschosen to re-clad the exterior for two reasons. First,its inherent stiffness meant that it could be used toreinforce the structural frame, and this allowed thedeveloper to retain the original structure andhence preserve the density of the scheme. Second,brick was felt to be more in keeping with the surrounding context as well as offering superiordurability and weather resistance.

The self-supporting brick facades are tied intothe floor plates using a sliding detail at storey-height intervals. In engineering terms the princi-pal challenge was to resolve differential movementbetween the brick facades and the steel frame – anot insubstantial amount given the height of thebuilding. ‘The steel frame has a tendency to con-tract slightly under the weight of people and furni-ture, whereas the long-term tendency of brick is toexpand,’ explains Smith. ‘The rule of thumb –worst-case scenario – is one millimetre per metre,although this is not necessarily proven in practice.Window cills or skirtings could therefore move byas much as 60mm in a top-floor flat.’

The solution was a two-storey-high triangulatedsteel umbrella structure located on top of thebuilding. This ties the masonry facades to the steelframe, allowing them to move together. The brickfacades gradually reduce in depth from 552mm at

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Above/below Located behind a ‘traditional’ loadbearing brick facade at 20-32 Baker Street,London, by Quinlan & Francis Terry (2002) arecolumn-free office floor plates with clear spans ofup to 13 metres. Deflection arising from the long-spanning steel beams is countered by using steelend plates set within concrete rings, which form anintegral part of the brick skin (phs above: Norman& Dawbarn Architects; ph below: Jaap Oepkes).Opposite below An innovative clamped masonrytechnique was used to refurbish Winterton Housein Tower Hamlets, London (ph: Christine Ottewill).

work. Furthermore, detailing and design issues,such as cold-bridging and disproportionate col-lapse questioned what was hitherto consideredgood construction practice. As a result brickbecame ‘de-engineered’ – through the use of stain-less steel and mastic – and it tended to be used as acladding element rather than as an integral part ofthe building structure.

Smith agrees, ‘these developments led to the

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the base to 215mm at the top, in order to accom-modate the window voids, windloading and self-compression. One of the lessons learnt fromthis pioneering project is that by clamping or hold-ing brickwork, expansion can be suppressed moreeasily than the current codes of practice suggest.‘There are some strange mechanics between mor-tar and brick that allow the stresses to relax’,explains Groves. ‘We are finding that it is possibleto bring loadbearing or self-supporting brickworkand steel together much more easily than our ini-tial calculations would suggest.’

Engineering gymnastics are also central to thesuccess of 20-32 Baker Street, a mixed-use officeand retail development in London by Quinlan &Francis Terry (2002). The brief called for highquality, column-free floor plates with clear spans ofup to 13 metres. However, planning restrictionsrelating to a pair of adjacent grade-two listed buildings, and the scheme’s location within thePortman Estate Conservation Area, stipulated

using a mortar bearing. This has the effect of com-pressing or stiffening the walls, particularly aroundweak points, such as the window and door openings.By omitting wind posts the client was able to savearound £50,000. But Groves cautions, ‘The natureof post-tensioned precast planks is they creepupwards, so it is important to provide ballastthrough the dead weight of masonry above alongthe edge to ensure there is no loss of compressionbelow’. The number of movement joints was kept toa minimum by using a lime-based mortar.

By resolving to re-engineer brick, Ramboll hasnot only expanded the boundaries of what is tech-nically possible, it has also revived traditional construction techniques – many of which remain asrelevant and effective today as they were centuriesago. The conceptual simplicity and rigour of itsstructural solutions combined with the enduringappeal of brick have resulted in both striking andsensitive projects that appeal as much to architectsas they do engineers.

a ‘traditional’ loadbearing masonry facade. The main problem was how to counteract the

effects of deflection and rotation at the ends of thelong-span steel beams, which threatened to breakthe 440mm wide loadbearing brick walls. A propri-etary bearing system was initially considered, butrejected on the grounds of cost. In the final specifi-cation, the team employed a standard steel endplate that was finely engineered to be relatively thin(25mm), yet resist buckling. This was located asclose to the centre of the wall as possible – to pro-mote concentric loading – and set within a con-crete ring or doughnut, providing a 550x215mmbearing within the brick wall. Unlike a traditionalconcrete bearing pad, the masonry-sized ringforms an integral part of the brick skin, allowinghigh stresses to flow through the wall.

A project that not only demonstrates brick’sloadbearing qualities, but also its potential pliabili-ty is the Forum in Norwich by Hopkins Architects(2001). Arranged around a horseshoe-shaped plan

not only provide vertical load transfer, but also lockthe brickwork to the concrete frame, allowing thetwo elements to move together. The frequency ofthe corbels ensures movement is spread uniformlythroughout the walls and cracking does not occur.A relatively soft 20N handmade brick was specifiedwith a grade-three lime-based mortar. The teamdecided against using a full hydraulic lime mixafter tests indicated that curing times might havean adverse effect on the construction critical path.

By contrast, a student hall of residence by RHPartnership at Trinity Hall, Cambridge (2007),demonstrates the aesthetic and cost benefits ofadopting an engineered brick approach on a mid-rise building. The three-storey project employs sim-ple cross-wall construction with traditional brickand block cavity walls. Early discussions with thearchitect favoured minimising the use of movementjoints and eliminating wind posts altogether. Thelatter was achieved by bearing part of the concretefloor planks onto the internal concrete block leaf

Above/right A brick ‘overcoat’ approach was adopted at the Forum inNorwich by Hopkins Architects (2001) as a means of eschewing movementjoints and accommodating differential movement between the masonryfacades and the concrete frame. A series of concrete corbels located concentrically on the brick walls at 3.9 metre centres bind the facades andstructure – allowing them to move together – as well as provide verticalload transfer (phs: Ramboll; corbel detail: Paul Weston). Opposite above Wind posts were eliminated on a student hall of residenceat Trinity Hall, Cambridge by RH Partnership (2007) by bearing part of theconcrete floor planks onto the internal concrete block leaf. This stiffenedthe walls and achieved significant cost savings (ph: RH Partnership).

on three-storeys, the scheme comprises a library,visitor and business centre, exhibition space, shop,bar and restaurant. The building’s reinforced con-crete frame is wrapped on three sides by a 300metre long, loadbearing, 356mm thick solid brickwall with insulation on the inner face.

From the outset it was decided to adopt a brick‘overcoat’ approach as a means of eschewingunsightly movement joints and to accommodatedifferential movement between the facades and thestructural frame. ‘Unlike brickwork, concreteshrinks over time as it cures and dries out’, saysGroves. ‘We had to soften up the walls so that theywould defer to dominant movement of the rein-forced concrete floor slabs. This is opposed to tra-ditional or historic brick buildings, which havedominant facades and relatively weak floordiaphragms made from timber.’

Extending from the perimeter of the floor slabsare a series of concrete corbels that sit concentrical-ly on the masonry walls at 3.9 metre centres. These

Next month, two brick villas byMies van der Rohe take centrestage for the Krefeld ArchitectureDays. Photos: Volker Döhne,Krefeld Kunstmuseen.

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PRECEDENT

‘More Mies’ in Krefeld Conveniently overlooked by many historians of modernismas an aberration between his first neoclassical villas and latersteel and glass buildings, the early brick houses of LudwigMies van der Rohe (1886-1969) have come to stand the testof time surprisingly well. In particular the two adjacent fam-ily homes, built for Josef Esters and Hermann Lange inKrefeld, north of Düsseldorf and now open to the public asgalleries, exude a quiet calm that perhaps chimes with peri-ods of austerity both when they were built and now. Hermann Lange (1874-1942), a textile manufacturer and

collector of contemporary art, commissioned the up-and-

coming young architect to build a private house for his fam-ily in 1927, the first of a series of commissions, some of whichwere built, in the vicinity of Krefeld. Mies designed the adja-cent Haus Esters at the same time as Haus Lange, and soonafterwards, the dye works building for the Verseidag silkweaving company in 1930-31 (restored by Karl-Heinrich Eickin 2003). The construction of the headquarters of Verseidag(1937-38) was prevented by the outbreak of war, and plansfor Traar golf club near Krefeld (1930) and a dwelling(1935) for Lange’s son Ulrich also remained unrealised. Both Haus Lange and Haus Esters are supported internal-

ly by steel structures, which allowed Mies the freedom tocompose the fenestration as required within the brick walls.The large panels of glazing and brick terrace areas reach outto the rear gardens on the south, setting up a characteristicdialogue between the interior spaces and the gardens, thelayout and planting of which were also prepared by Mies.Mies worked on the houses with designer Lilly Reich

(1885-1947), having previously collaborated with her on fur-nishings for the Velvet & Silk cafe at the Berlin Fashion forWomen trade fair for the German Silk Weaving Associationin 1927. For the Haus Lange and Haus Esters they designedlights, tables, chairs, wall cabinets, cupboards and lightswitches, many of which remain or have been reinstated.

Haus Esters Garden sidewith the adjacent HausLange beyond (above)and entrance front(below). Both housesshare the same detailingand plan concept, withminor variations in accor-dance with the respectiveclients’ requirements.

Haus Lange Garden side(above) and entrancefront (below). Guidedtours, discussions andworkshops take placeduring KrefeldArchitecture Days.Below Mies van derRohe drawing the HausEsters, c1927 (ph: © VGBild Kunst Bonn).

BB SUMMER 11 • 2120 • BB SUMMER 11

Right ‘I wanted to make this house much more inglass, but the client did not like that. I had greattrouble’, Mies van der Rohe once proclaimed.Lange commissioned Mies in 1927, reputedly afterhis first-choice architects Theo van Doesberg andCornelis van Eesteren failed to produce a scheme.Local planning laws outlawed tall perimeter wallsand required seven metre setbacks along the roadfrontage. Lange’s 115-metre deep site cost 105,000Deutschmarks, while Esters paid DM950,000, a signof the rampant inflation. For both houses Miesspecified red bricks with purple accents. The wood-ed sites slope gently away from the street, and thehouses sit on terraces bounded by brick walls andsteps that connect with the garden. In the LangeHouse the large picture windows of the gardenelevation slide down at the press of a button, pow-ered by British-made Parsons electric motors.These are among the first modern brick houses inwhich the bricks aren’t primarily loadbearing. Mies’structural engineer Ernst Walter expressed concernthat the steel calculations were responding more tothe aesthetic aspects than structural purity, a con-flict Mies resolved at Barcelona, where ‘support’ and‘wall’ are separated. Both houses were completedby summer 1930, and both were damaged duringthe second world when industrial Krefeld wasbombed. Haus Esters was occupied by the Britishfrom 1945-56, and in 1954 Lange offered his houserent free to the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum to displayart; it opened to the public in November 1955.Esters’ widow sold their house to the city, and itwas subsequently restored and opened in 1981(ph: Seier + Seier).

Mies’ celebrated brick villa project (1923-24), was a vision-ary composition comprising separate walls that seemed toextend infinitely into the landscape like a Mondrian paint-ing. A precursor for the German Pavilion at the BarcelonaWorld Fair in 1928-29, it heralded the future direction ofmuch of his later work in the United States. In contrast HausLange and Haus Esters, designed much at the same time,suggest more of an intermediate position between traditionand Modernism, with open spaces, especially in Haus Esters,but also contained spaces in accordance with the clients’requirements. Because both clients were collectors of art and their hous-

es designed accordingly, the buildings have been adaptedsuccessfully for their new role as public galleries. Acclaimedexhibitions of international contemporary art have beenshown in Haus Lange since 1955 and in Haus Esters since1981. Among the most intriguing have been site-specificinstallations by Haus-Rucker-Co, which spanned the HausLange with an ‘air hall’ for its Cover exhibition in 1971; in2009, John Baldessari transformed Haus Lange into a her-metically-sealed brick cube, closing its windows and thusreversing the architectural intention of opening up space.

Details Museen Haus Lange and Haus Esters, Wilhelmshofallee 91-97, Krefeld. Krefeld Architecture Days: 1-3 July, 30 Sept-2 Oct www.kunstmuseenkrefeld.de

Above Clockwise fromtop left: Haus Esters hall-way looking towards theentrance; Haus Langerestored kitchen; HausEsters dining room withhall and children’s roombeyond; Haus Esters hall-way with men’s room(phs: Volker Döhne © VG Bild Kunst Bonn).

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TECHNICALo

Perched high above the Rhine river, theSwiss village of Pfäfers is dominated by aformer Benedictine monastery and theSaint Pirminsberg Centre for GeriatricPsychiatry. Forming a major extensionto the psychiatry campus is a new three-storey building by Zurich-basedpractice Huggenbergerfries Architekten.Comprising bedrooms, treatmentrooms and communal/meeting spaces,the 8060 square metre scheme is

planned around three landscapedcourtyards. Each courtyard has its owndistinctive character, ensuring easy ori-entation for patients and staff alike.The prefabricated masonry facades

incorporate three distinctive types ofbrickwork. The first achieves a braidedor woven effect that is intended to evokeboth the brick facades of the monasteryand the shingle cladding of the housesin the village. Brick specials allow thiseffect to continue uninterruptedaround the corners of the building. The second is a perforated facade

that provides natural ventilation withfull-height fall protection (a key require-

ment of the brief) and is derived from traditional stables and barns.Incorporating walls, loggias, and a largeroof terrace on the second level, themesh-like brickwork gives the externalenvelope a homogenous appearance. Last but not least is a two-brick high

soldier course that denotes the floor lev-els. Precast concrete ‘belts’ or lintels arelocated at the top and bottom of eachbrick panel to provide structural stabilityand to counter wind loading. These elements, combined with the soldier-courses, give the facades a strong hori-zontal emphasis. Further articulation isprovided by large, full-height windows

with slim, bronze-coloured metal frames.In total 171 prefabricated brick pan-

els were used incorporating over100,000 light, sand-coloured bricks.Prefabrication was favoured by the archi-tect as it allowed the masonry to be deliv-ered with greater precision and quality.It also eliminated the weather-depend-ent aspects of working with brick on site.

Credits Architect: Huggenbergerfries Architekten; projectteam: Carlo Zürcher, Daniela Ziltener, Sabine Albrecht,Stephan Isler, Beata Kunert, Peter Reichenbach, AgnesLörincz, Bettina Scheid, Pierre Schild; structure: WepfIngenieure; services: Kempter & Partner; electrical engineer: Marquart; construction manager: WalterDietsche Baumanagement; landscape architect: Koepflipartner; artist: Jan Käser, brick/concrete panels:Keller; photos: Beat Bühler.

Huggenbergerfries Architekten hasextended a Swiss psychiatric clinicusing prefabricated masonry panels.

Erdgeschoss 1 5 10 150

Schnitt B 1:400 1 5 10 150

BRICK

BULLETIN