Brick exterior ideas from around the world. Innovative and modern brick facades made by making the most of the possibilities of the material.
Creating a modern and unusual exterior with brick, a traditional building material, may seem difficult. However, if bricks with various textures, colors and shapes are handled from a different perspective in line with the evolving needs of customers and technological possibilities, quite modern and innovative designs such as the following can be obtained.
Brick, which is a versatile building material despite its ancient origins, has gained a new meaning with the following new and creative exterior uses. Inspired by the colors, movements and textures of the surrounding landscapes, these architectural projects have succeeded in achieving a modern aesthetic by respecting and linking the historical past of brick.
In this article, we have shared brick exterior ideas and 8 modern brick facades where brick is used in new and different ways, regardless of building typology, from affordable housing to community centers and traditional church towers. These projects prove to us how iconic structures can be made if the possibilities of the material are used in the best way. As Mies van der Rohe said:
Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Contents
Brick Exterior Ideas from Around the World
1. Woof Shadow, Tehran, Iran
Woof Shadow by Tachra design is a residential project consisting of 5 floors and 10 apartments located in a middle class area in Tehran. In the project, considering the importance of the land value, the number of balconies was reduced and a mobile exterior design was made. In the façade design of the building inspired by origami, curves are formed on the two-dimensional brick wall, creating a three-dimensional surface that turns into a canopy from time to time. With the brick used as the main material of the facade composition, both the cost was reduced and a traditional texture was obtained. In addition, the effect of light and shadow was created inside the building with the overlapping brick layers.
2. Chi She, Shanghai, China
Designed by Archi-Union Architects, the building is an exhibition space for the Chi She artist group. Located in Shanghai’s Xuhui district, the structure was built with recycled gray-green bricks salvaged from an old building. Chi She exhibition space, designed using both traditional and contemporary elements, has achieved an extraordinary exterior with advanced digital production technology. Thus, old bricks have been revived to meet the requirements of the new age.
3. The Sky Above Asnières-sur-Seine, France
This residential complex in Asnières-sur-Seine has been presented by the 5+1AA Architectural Agency Alfonso Femia Gianluca Peluffo for two years of work. The project is located in a location of fundamental importance for the whole city, due to the large train station opened for the Grand Paris Line. Located on a trapezoidal plot, this project consists of 144 affordable apartments, 39 social housing units and 360 square meters of commercial space. The different blocks have exterior facades that emphasize unity and urban diversity. With its interlocking brick arrays in contrasting colors, this mass housing project adds visual variety to its environment by preventing monotony.
4. South Asian Human Rights Documentation Center, Delhi, India
By using bricks as rotatable modules, Anagram Architects has achieved a naturally ventilated exterior that both reduces noise and provides shade from the intense Indian sun. Designed for project owners with a limited budget, the brick layout has enabled this complex and unusual facade to be designed at a very low cost.
5. Mulberry House, New York City, United States
Designed by Shop Architect, this building is located on a street corner in Manhattan’s trendy NoLite neighborhood. The light and shadow formed on the surface by the elegant combination of black bricks create a striking architectural aesthetic on the exterior of the building. These angled surfaces form an example of a contemporary exterior that refers to the historical brick exteriors of the region, rather than bearing a load-bearing feature.
6. Community Centier Westvleteren, Poperinge, Belgium
Many renovation and extension projects take a lot of time and effort to match the texture and color of the bricks at the junction of the old and new building. By breaking the mold, Atelier Tom Vanhee has followed a completely different approach for this community center in Belgium. This building, which has undergone changes for many years, has exhibited the traces on it rather than hiding it, highlighting the additions and removals made with contrasting bricks. Thus, by bringing together bricks of different colors, a unifying facade was obtained, emphasizing the function of the building, which is a meeting point for the community.
7. Landmark Nieuw Bergen, Nieuw-Bergen, Netherlands
Church towers are landmarks that are very important in defining small villages. Lacking such a landmark, Nieuw-Bergen put this need first as part of its village renewal plan. Thus, a public tower was designed by Monadnock in the very center of the common area. This decorative structure has a pattern created with contrasting bricks in natural red and light green tones.
8. Pixel House, Tanhyeon-myeon, South Korea
Designed for a young family by Slade Architecture, the Korean home speaks to the fluid complexity of architecture in the digital age, proving that brick can be used versatile as a modular element. The firm, which defines each brick as a pixel, aimed to obtain a smooth looking house by using the pixels properly. As a result, a house of 9,675 pixels (brick) is obtained.
We hope you liked our article “brick exterior ideas and modern brick facades“. If you have any other interesting brick exteriors that you think should be on this list, please share them with us in the comments. Don’t forget to visit our homepage to discover the latest design ideas and quality examples about interior design and architecture! 🙂
