Ibstock celebrates as its products help secure 8 awards at BDA Brick Awards 2021, including coveted Supreme Award

Ibstock is celebrating after its products helped secure multiple award wins at the prestigious Brick Development Association (BDA) Brick Awards 2021, which was held at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.

The BDA Brick Awards is the biggest night in the brick industry’s calendar, celebrating the very best examples of how clay bricks are used by architects, specifiers, housebuilders and brickwork contractors to create stunning buildings and enhance the built environment across the globe.

Ibstock’s bricks were used on eight of the award-winning projects, more than any other manufacturer, as well as three projects that were highly commended in their categories, demonstrating Ibstock’s market leading position. The award wins spanned several sectors from residential new builds of all scales, commercial, education and public buildings to refurbishment projects.

The award wins included the prestigious Supreme Award for the incredible Lambeth Palace Library project, which also won the award for Best Public Building. The Supreme award is the highest accolade of the Brick Awards, with the winner being chosen by judges from all category winners in recognition of the project that is ‘most impressive and recognises exemplary planning, design, construction and overall satisfaction of brief’.

Spearheaded by architects Wright & Wright, the Lambeth Palace Library project used a bespoke blend of Ibstock’s Swanage handmade bricks with Ashdown Blue Grey Headers to add additional aesthetic detail to the façade.

Ibstock products helped secure a host of other category wins throughout the evening. The award for the best commercial project went to the i9 Wolverhampton Interchange development from Glenn Howells Architects, which featured Ibstock’s Aldridge Smooth Red. The award for best education project went to The Catherine Hughes Building in Oxford by Niall McLaughlin Architects, which used the ReigatePurple from Ibstock’s South Holmwood factory.

In the housing categories, the ‘Small Housing Development’ award was won by Pump House in London, designed by Common Ground Architecture, which featured Ibstock’s White Engobe brick. The ‘Medium Housing Development’ category was won by The Officer’s House, Royal Arsenal, designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, which used the Funton Old Chelsea Yellow and Dark Bevern Multi from Ibstock’s Ashdown factory.

Ibstock’s strong relationship with volume Housebuilders was evident in the Housebuilder category with all shortlisted projects using Ibstock bricks.The award was won by Redrow whose winning projects used a selection of Ibstock’s bricks from their Leicester, Ashdown and Laybrook factories as well as prefabricated arches from Ibstock Kevington.

The ‘Refurbishment’ category was won by The John Modern Centre in London, designed by Mae, which used Ibstock’s Cumberland Blend from its Birtley factory.

Richard Brown, Marketing Director, Ibstock says: “The quality of the projects shortlisted across all the categories of this year’s awards was incredibly high. To have been involved in so many of the winning projects is something we are all very proud of. Brick is the most popular façade material in the UK and it is clear to see why when you look at the amazing buildings it is able to create. The beauty, flexibility and versatility of clay bricks along with their durability, excellent technical performance and sustainability credentials is something to be celebrated which is why the Brick Awards is such a popular event, with this year being its 45th year.

“It was especially pleasing to have been involved in so many winning projects across such a range of industry sectors and for so many different bricks from a number of our factories to have been used in these amazing developments. We are very proud of our long-standing heritage in British manufacturing so to have our products showcased in exemplary projects such as these shows we truly are at the heart of building.”