BRICK

Bulletin AUTUMN 2006

Gaudi touch
PARTY UCL’s Slavonic Studies school
by Short and Associates

PIECE
The Orangery, Savill Court Hotel, Windsor,
Crafts counsel
Skilled workmanship at St
Pancras International Station
by DLA Architecture
Free thinking
How to design and specify
freestanding brick walls

Published for the Brick Development Association

Hero
Prince Charles famously likened the British
Library to an academy for secret police, a sneer
that is as unfair as it is inaccurate. You have to go
down to the Thames at Vauxhall to see what a
secret police HQ really looks like.
But why bother? Stay on the Euston Road,
where Colin St John Wilson’s library, finally
completed in 1997 after a heroic 30-year gesta-
tion, will enthral you with its sheer mass and
accomplished brick detailing.
More than 1.5 million hand-made red bricks
were used on the project, all sand-faced and
each one bearing the initials of the person who
made it. Red clay paving was used extensively
throughout the entrance courtyard, and the
brick theme is carried through to the inside
where the quality of workmanship, incredibly
consistent over such large expanses, cannot fail
to impress.
Although the building’s monumentality sug-
gests load-bearing structural brickwork, it is in
fact clad with a skin of stretcher-bonded brick-
work that is tied back to the concrete structure
by an elaborate system that allows differential
movement and is intended to last for the build-
ing’s 200-year design life.
DENNIS GILBERT/VIEW

Gauged brickwork update
Donhead has published a second edition of Gerard
Lynch’s Gauged Brickwork, which is fast becoming
the standard reference work on the subject. This
edition has been substantially updated with new
material and includes a detailed historical
perspective on the development of the craft.
Designed as a practical handbook, the 224-page
hardback (price £39) uses diagrams and
photographs to describe each stage of the process,
from rubbing the bricks, cutting and shaping to
laying and carving. It also
highlights the damage that
can be caused when an
unskilled labourer attempts
to repair or repoint rubbed
and gauged work.
Architects and builders
involved in repairing
gauged brickwork are likely
to find the book useful, as
are those involved in
commissioning new
decorative work.
Further details from
www.donhead.com
or call 01747 828422.
Masonry manual reprinted
The third edition of the Structural Masonry
Designers’ Manual, regarded as the standard
text on the structural use of brick and blockwork,
is now out.
Published by Blackwell, the 352-page manual
is essential reading for designers of structural
masonry.
It has been revised to include updates to
BS 5628:2000-2 and the 2004 version of Part A of
the Building Regulations, but does not include the
2005 amendments to BS 5628. There are new
sections on sustainability, innovation, health & safety
and technical developments.
Structural Masonry Designers’ Manual, by W G
Curtin, Gerry Shaw, J K Beck, W A Bray & David
Easterbrook. Hardback, £89.50.
For more details visit www.blackwellpublishing.com
Editor George Demetri Production editor Gail Novelle Design Mark Bergin Concept Cook Design ISSN 0307-9325
Leader
Green agenda
It is right that sustain-
ability tops the agenda
in construction today.
But I find it totally unacceptable when brick, a
material proven to last for centuries with very
little maintenance, is grouped with so-called
‘modern’ materials that are classed as having a
life of only 60 years.
In a BDA-supported study of 860 buildings,
Leeds Metropolitan University found the aver-
age service period for clay bricks before
replacement exceeded 150 years. This rein-
forces the argument that brick can be used
with confidence as a 21st century material.
Production has become much more envi-
ronmentally aware since the UK clay brick
industry launched its sustainability strategy in
2002. Pre- and post-factory gate improvements
include more efficient flue-gas scrubbing,
recycling waste water and heat, energy efficient
kilns and reduced emissions to comply with
government targets.
Whether it is to make up the shortfall in the
housing stock or provide thermal mass to help
reduce carbon emissions, brick can be used to
create places and spaces that enhance people’s
lives. Its visual appeal increases as the years go
by, and at the end of a building’s life, the bricks
can be reclaimed and recycled on other proj-
ects. If that is not sustainable, what is?
Michael Driver, director
Brick Development Association
03
 News

How to keep your cool

A large, deep-plan building with natural
ventilation, daylighting and passive cooling
strategies can use less than half the energy of a
standard air-conditioned one and yet keep
interiors comfortable and up to 5º below
ambient temperatures in summer.
This is the conclusion of a recent paper from
the Institute of Energy and Sustainable
Development at De Montfort University,
Leicester. Environmental Performance of a
Naturally Ventilated City Centre Library, by
Krausse, Cook and Lomas, focuses on energy
use and environmental performance at Coventry
University’s Lanchester Library, designed by

MARTINE HAMILTONWRIGHT
Short & Associates.
Completed in 2000, the four-storey building,
which has a sealed facade, uses
20 dramatic brick perimeter stacks to draw warm
stale air outside. Data from the building’s energy
management system indicates that the average
temperature inside remains relatively stable
throughout the year. This is due partly to the
building’s thermal mass and its night venting
strategy, which prevent individual hot days from
significantly raising internal temperatures. The
environment is clearly having a benign effect on
students and library staff, who say they enjoy
learning and working in the building. BDA REVISES DESIGN NOTE 7 ON DURABILITY

BDA Design Note 7, Brickwork Durability, has been revised and

updated by the Brick Development Association. This latest version of
the note, which was originally issued in September 1986, covers the various
aspects of durability and mortar specifications as given in the European and British
Standards, and provides a link between them. The 14-page document has colour
photographs plus tables and references and can be freely downloaded from the BDA
website at www.brick.org.uk/publications/Design_&_Detail.htm

Classical craftsmen at work

This summerhouse by George Saumarez Smith of Robert Adam Architects is the overall winner of the Ibstock
Downland Prize 2006. Located in the grounds of a grade II* listed building near New Alresford in Hampshire, the
summerhouse was praised by the judges as a delightful work that demonstrates both a great eye for design detail and
exceptional craftsmanship.
Drawing on a rich vein of classicism, Saumarez Smith’s design was influenced by Sanmicheli, Hawksmoor and
Palladio. As for the superb brickwork. the architect says: ‘Every type of bond can be found in the building, including
English, Flemish, Header, English Garden Wall and Monk Bonds. In this way, the summerhouse suggests a giant
apprentice piece, traditionally produced to demonstrate the skill of the bricklayer in his handling of materials,
techniques and finishes.’ The bricklayer was John Howell of Whitchurch-based R J Smith & Co.
04

Friends for life
Time and fashion can be cruel to buildings too, says
Robert Adam. Durable, sustainable design and materials
give them a much better chance of a useful, graceful old age
Buildings have lives. They come
into being, they mature and they
get old. Once built, their lives
thereafter can be measured in dif-
ferent ways.
A commercial building has an
investment life of 30 years, while a
supermarket’s is 15 years or less.
For a house it may be 50 years. In
practice, many buildings go on
well beyond their investment
lives, and most of our towns and
cities are made up of this category.
What happens to buildings in
their lives, whether long or short,
is important.
As buildings change with time,
so do attitudes to them. In the full
ILLUSTRATION BY JONATHAN WILLIAMS
flush of newly-built maturity, the
architect thinks everyone will love
his or her building forever. But
what is fashionable now will most
likely be out of fashion soon
enough. Once a building goes out
of fashion things happen – or
sometimes don’t happen – to it.
When people care less about a
building, they will take less care of
it. This is not wanton neglect; it’s
just the way it goes. Repairs may
become less frequent; once one
small repair is let go, the next big-
ger repair becomes less urgent and
so on; rents can drop or building
values fall; a spiral of decline often
sets in.
If the building is in a high-
value area, it may either be kept
going much longer or it may be
replaced as soon as decay sets in.
If, like most, the area is of average
or unstable values, the cost of
replacement may be too high to
justify; functions may alter, tenan-
cies may split.
The way a building adapts to
old age has a profound effect on its
surroundings and the lives of
those who live around it. Longe-
vity is an important factor in sus-
tainability. The life cycle and
longevity of buildings should be
an important part of their design,
but most of the time they are not.
Viewpoint
Design and materials are the two key factors
in the life of a building. If it is designed in the
right way and built of durable materials, a
building can last for centuries. That means it
can easily be adapted to different uses and its
fabric can survive neglect and the ravages of the
elements.
If a building is to survive the vagaries of
fashion it should not be an extreme fashion
statement; measure, simplicity and tradition
last longer than gimmickry.
Deep-plan and high buildings only work for
special functions and when values are high.
Changes in value and patterns of use, let alone
energy prices, can render them useless. They
can be replaced, but is this a good use of
resources? Of course not.
Buildings with a short life or untested mate-
rials, or buildings that need expensive main-
tenance, get quite nasty quite quickly when
people stop taking care of them. When they
go downhill they drag their surroundings
down with them. Often they are beyond
redemption: not worth doing up and not worth
demolishing. They create a long-term blight
wherever they are. This is not good for our
towns and cities.
Buildings that can be serviced easily and lit
naturally have many more uses than buildings
that need artificial lighting, electronic move-
ment (lifts and escalators), forced ventilation
and air-conditioning to keep going.
We don’t know the future, but we do know
that energy is more likely to be scarce than
abundant. Short span, low-rise buildings have
a much better chance of survival and use less
energy.
Robust buildings
with time-proven
‘Robust buildings details can pass
through extreme
with time-proven decline and re-
details can emerge emerge rejuvenated
should values change.
from even extreme This means robust
materials that need lit-
decline rejuvenated’ tle or no maintenance
and that look good –
or better – as time
does its work. As often
as not these are the so-called natural materials:
stone and fired clay products.
Supreme among these is brick. Brick is
available everywhere, comes in hundreds of
varieties, has a long tradition of weatherproof
details and, even when no one cares for it,
looks better as it gets older. Brick is the materi-
al for a responsible future.
05
 HANG ON IN THERE
Completed in 2003, the exciting planar
high-rise blocks of the second
Katendrecht Haven housing complex in
Rotterdam overhang the lower blocks
by 12m. The modular 300 x 97 x 80mm
bricks were laid with 3mm red glue
mortar joints to give this intense clay
effect. DKV Architecten was the
architect.

PETER COOK

IT’S A CORKER
De Blacam & Meagher’s Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland is
an amazing brick tour de force influenced by the work of Louis
Kahn, for whom Shane De Blacam once worked. Completed this
year, this latest phase makes extensive use of brick internally and
externally, both as a cladding and as a structural material.

Twist and
shout
Sweeping curves, rotundas, gables – brick
can be used to create almost any shape, as
this diverse collection of buildings shows.
And it is durable, has high thermal mass and
good soundproofing. Looks nice too.
06
 WHITE STRIPES
The circular-plan sports pavilion at
Radley College in Abingdon combines a
solid brick base externally topped by a
glazed 360º viewing area and includes
internal brickwork. JBKS Architects
specified English garden wall bond to In pictures
emphasise horizontality and a lime
mortar to avoid movement joints.

IN THE ROUND
Designed both as a landmark and
wedding and conference venue, the
new £0.5m Orangery at Savill Court
Hotel, Windsor, is classically inspired.
DLA Architecture specified imperial
size bricks to match those on the older
building. Completed in May, the brick
works on traditional and modern levels.
CHARLOTTE WOODS

SIMON MILES
RAISING THE TONE
Islington Square, Manchester, is an
exuberant if whimsical celebration of
brick that wraps highly ornamented and
patterned traditional loadbearing brick
facades around the house types.
Designed by Fat (Fashion Architecture
Taste), this £2.3m social housing
scheme comprises 23 houses and lifts
the tone of the entire neighbourhood.

CAS PHOTOGRAPHY

TAKEN AS RED
Like a delicate overgarment, the
vibrant red brick facade of
No 1 Piccadilly Gardens in central
Manchester makes a striking
statement and contrasts with
neighbouring buildings. Comprising
offices, retail, residential, hotel,
restaurant and ancillary spaces, the
£22m, Allies & Morrison-designed
PETER LEMKE

building was completed in 2003.

07
 PETER COOK/VIEW

8
Case study
 storey reinforced concrete frame by a series of
brick buttresses through which the staircases
run. These buttresses are tied to the concrete
by cast-in dovetailed channels, allowing
vertical movement of brickwork and concrete.
An exposed glulam timber frame built off the
fifth-floor slab forms the roof structure, with
an ETFE pillow roof over the central atrium.
The massive cavity brickwork of the facade
consists of an outer 215mm thick solid brick
wall, tied across a 100mm cavity to an inner
215mm solid brick wall that is fairfaced to
capitalise on the thermal mass of the
construction. At 32m long, the brickwork of
the main facade is low absorption, machine-
made bricks laid in a relatively soft (1:2:9) lime
mortar designed to cope with changes in
temperature and moisture without the need
for movement joints.
Two 1.4m-wide staircases arranged
symmetrically either side of the main entrance
are each expressed on the elevation by a
melodic, sinusoidal sweep of windows.
Goethe’s ‘frozen music’ analogy immediately
springs to mind. But the stair zone also acts as
a huge ventilated cavity that tempers the

School of
building’s internal temperatures.
If there is one criticism, it is that the high
expectations fostered by the dramatic
elevation are dashed slightly by the rather

Slavonic Studies
sterile reception area and the heavy-looking
fenestration of the atrium. These, however, are
minor considerations given the building’s
impressive environmental aspirations.
Professor Alan Short, principal of Short

Bloomsbury and Associates, likens the building to a small

urban palace. ‘We looked at Gaudi but also at
late Romanesque and medieval European
churches. Being Bloomsbury, we could have
A striking newcomer to Georgian Bloomsbury is breaking designed in a Georgian idiom but instead have
new ground in sustainable design. George Demetri reports created a kind of palazzo that expresses the
dynamism of SSEES.’
Intensifying this grandeur are outsized,
Short and Associates’ recently completed Completed this year at a cost of £10m, asymmetric soldier arches – some three
UCL School of Slavonic and East European SSEES has a total floor area of 3,437m2 over courses deep – that oversail reveals by up to
Studies in Bloomsbury is the world’s first seven storeys, including a research library and 600mm and recall monumental Roman brick
application of passive downdraft cooling on a a unique book collection. A glass atrium rising architecture. Clear references to both Gaudi
public building in a major city. through the building forms part of the cooling and Moorish Spain can be seen in the
Forecast to use less than half the energy of a system along with perimeter stacks, roof- wonderful stairhall.
typical mechanically cooled building, SSEES mounted chimneys, an ingenious dentilled Whatever you read into the design, one
also uses less energy than a well designed architrave for exhausting air from the stair thing is certain. The SSEES building is an
naturally ventilated cellular building. Within zone and a magnificent brick elevation. energetic piece of architecture that manages
this sustainable framework, the thermal mass An independently supported 530mm-wide to inject a new dynamism into this corner of
of brickwork plays an important role. structural brick wall is connected to the seven- the capital.

Client UCL Estates

Architect Short and Associates
Brickwork DB Ryder & Co
Structural engineer Martin Stockley Assocs
M&E Environmental Design Partnership

For more details on this project, please ring

the BDA on 01344 885651.

9
 Case study

Dance City
Newcastle
Traditional brickwork
contrasts with steel frame
and coloured glazing to
create a striking
composition.
MORLEY VON STERNBERG

10

‘Thermal mass’ as a term may have become
over-used lately, but it is one reason why
Dance City in Newcastle, completed in
December 2005, is such a significant
development.
It is one of the latest buildings to use brick
as part of a passive environmental strategy, not
to mention for structural, acoustic, security
and aesthetic reasons.
Located in Newcastle city centre only a
stone’s throw from St James’s Park football
ground, the new venue caters for dance,
performance and teaching at both academic
and community levels. Edinburgh-based
Malcolm Fraser Architects has produced a
striking composition involving complex
spatial relationships and two distinct
structural systems.
There are three main components to the
building. A strip of dance studios and
associated activities form the highest block,
with the dance lab forming the lower block.
Both of these are defined structurally by brick
diaphragm walls and exposed concrete floor
Section
1 office
2 dance city offices
3 cafe
4 bar/servery
5 social space
6 technical box
7 storage
8 female toilets
9 rear rows seat rake 28.5º
10 front rows seat rake 24º
1 6
2
3 4
planks. In contrast, the remaining L-shape
block – which houses the administrative
functions – is steel framed with coloured
glazing to provide transparency and to
contrast with the massing of the brickwork.
From the outset, the design team was keen
to combine brick’s thermal mass – the ability
to absorb, store and radiate heat – with the
structural requirement of large, unobstructed
spans, up to 15m in the dance lab.
Explaining the choice of brick, project
architect Clive Albert says: ‘Brick offered the
appropriate performance characteristics as
well as being cost effective, thanks to a skilled
local workforce. Structural investigations
revealed that a double skin brick diaphragm
wall construction also had acoustic benefits,
helping to reduce noise breakout from the
dance studios to nearby residential
properties.’
Typically 440mm wide and up to 10m high,
diaphragm walls have an inner and outer leaf
of 102.5mm brickwork separated by a 235mm
cavity with 120mm rigid insulation on the
9
7 10
5
8
Client Newcastle City Council
Architect Malcolm Fraser Architects
Project manager Monk Dunstone Associates
Structural engineer Ove Arup & Partners
(Scotland)
Services engineer Harley Haddow
Bricklaying contractor Shepherd Construction
For more details on this project, please ring
the BDA on 01344 885651.
inner leaf. Stack-bonded stretchers at right
angles tie the two leaves together, thanks to
stainless steel ties in every course.
Initially, the architects toyed with the idea
of bonding the tie bricks in to the two leaves,
but concerns that moisture could transfer
across the brick ‘fins’ led them to use steel ties
with continuous vertical DPCs instead.
Movement joints have also been incorporated
into the diaphragm walls, typically at 11m
maximum spacing.
Weather-struck joints were originally
specified externally for their water shedding
properties and visual effect, but it proved
difficult to achieve the crispness and
consistency that was needed. They were
exchanged for ‘bucket handle’ joints at sample
panel stage.
Dance City is also notable as a further
example of the revival of interest in internal
brickwork that has been witnessed recently in
the UK. Seen throughout the building,
brickwork is fairfaced in areas such as the
three-storey multi-functional foyer/social
space and the dance lab; but is painted white
to reflect light in the dance studios and some
circulation routes.
Throughout, the philosophy has been to
use durable materials in the raw to increase
the practicality and robustness of the
building.
Staffordshire blue brick, white brick,
board-marked concrete, birch ply soffits,
white-painted plasterboard and timber
handrails and stairs, combine harmoniously to
produce a joyous building that is not only
good to look at but also a delight to be in.
11

Case study
St Pancras
International
London
Specialist brick craftsmanship is alive and well, as proved by
the transformed CTRL terminus. By George Demetri.
Client Union Railways (North)
Architect Rail Link Engineering
Historic buildings consultant
Roderick Shelton
Brickwork Contractor Irvine Whitlock
Brick procurement consultant Philip Mason
Main contractor Costain O’Rourke Bachy
Emcor Rail (Corber) consortium
For more details on this project, please ring
the BDA on 01344 885651.
12
If you think there aren’t enough specialist
brick craftsmen around, then take a look at
the work going on at St Pancras International
Station in London. There you will see the sort
of stunning, intricate brickwork
craftsmanship that you might be forgiven for
thinking had died with the Victorians.
Threatened with demolition in the 1960s,
the grade I-listed St Pancras station is now
being given new life by the planned high
speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link. CTRL
operator London & Continental Railways is
behind the station’s metamorphosis into the
new international terminus for Eurostar from
autumn 2007.
However, this has meant drastic changes to
Gilbert Scott’s 1876 Gothic Revival
masterpiece. A new underground section of
Thameslink has necessitated the demolition
and reconstruction of a whole section of
elevation opposite the eastern side of the
British Library.
Up to two storeys high and complete with
brick and stone arches, the new red brick
facade has been termed 21st century Gothic
by lead architect Alastair Lansley. Historic
buildings consultant Roderick Shelton, who
detailed the new facade, explains: ‘It’s
primarily a replica of what was there
originally and occupies the same footprint
but has been tweaked to account for subtle
changes arising out of the station’s new
functions.’
Structurally self-supporting, the 152m
long facade is tied to the station’s steel
structure for transference of wind loads. Up
to 14.5m above pavement level at its highest
point, the facade is strengthened by
brick/stone piers that vary in thickness from
690mm to 1370mm. Although some are
hollow to accommodate rainwater pipes, the
masonry is generally solid to resist the steel
arch thrusts.
Trying to match the existing brickwork
proved tricky as the original bricks were no
longer available. But despite some inevitable
compromises, the finished result is
extraordinary in terms of architectural
continuity and quality. Clearly, both the
bricks and the craftsmen were found.
All bricks on the project were handmade.
In keeping with the Victorian originals, the
half a million facing bricks were ‘thrown’
sideways to give a frog on both sides. This
helps laying the bricks, particularly given the
relatively thin 5mm joints that were used. In
addition, a double frog can provide extra key
for the mortar. Other than where the new
facade abuts the existing building, the use of
hydraulic lime mortar has removed the need
for movement joints in the facade.
Creating the Gothic arches required
20,000 ‘red rubber’ bricks in 45 different
shapes, each numbered individually to
ensure correct assembly. These were laid
with fine 2mm joints using a pure, sand-free
lime putty.
Many of those who have seen the finished
project have been impressed by the excellent
workmanship. This is a credit to the skill of
the 30 bricklayers and eight stonemasons
who carried out the work.
Geoff Irvine of brickwork contractor
Irvine Whitlock says: ‘Many architects seem
reluctant to design detailed brickwork
because of their perception of a shortage of
skilled bricklayers. I do not believe such a
shortage exists in the UK – and the proof is in
the quality of workmanship at St Pancras.’
WILL PRYCE (2)

13
 1 Vertical section through a typical freestanding wall 2 End piers

End pier is half-brick wall in stretcher bond

Plans of courses Elevation of pier

1
3 2
1 Overhanging coping
course 3
2 Groove to drip water
min 40mm from the
surface of the wall

4 3 Flexible DPC material courses 2&4

sandwiched in mortar
tie
(not PVC: bitumenous
polymer sheet
recommended) course 1

4 Facing brickwork End pier to one-brick wall in English garden

wall bond
5 DPC bricks (max 7% Plans of courses Elevation of pier
water absorption)
5
6 Recommended
maximum 200mm course 3
6 because surface soil
gives little lateral
support
7
course 2
7 Minimum depth of
foundation is typically
500mm for walls up to
Technical 2m high course 1

Freestanding walls
Freestanding walls are attractive, robust and enduring, but they need careful attention
to design and specification. Mike Hammett looks at the structural implications

Proper design is critical to
freestanding walls, because their
relative slenderness affects their
stability in relation to horizontal
forces, particularly wind. Design
involves more than just deciding
on the length and height required
and the arbitrary incorporation of
a few piers.
A typical construction can be
seen in figure 1. A wall of only
half-brick (or single skin) thick-
ness has very limited potential and
is not considered stable above
725mm high, even in a very shel-
tered location. A wall on such a
site should be no higher than
1925mm even if it is one brick
thick (215mm), and in a very
exposed location this drops to
1075mm. A wall one and a half
bricks thick (327mm) has a maxi-
mum height of 1825mm in an
exposed location.
A very sheltered location is
typically one shielded by neigh-
bouring buildings in a town or city
in a region that does not normally
experience excessively high wind.
By contrast, unsheltered locations
in regions that are liable to very
high winds will be subject to
strong horizontal wind forces.
Between these two extremes
conditions vary considerably.
Designing for a worst case sce-
nario would be uneconomic in
most instances, but designing for
an average exposure would be
dangerous. The BRE Good Build-
ing Guide 14, Building simple plan
brick or blockwork freestanding walls,
is a prescriptive guide for the
design of freestanding boundary
walls on sites in the UK. It gives
maximum height and minimum
foundation width for walls of half-
brick, one-brick and one and a
half brick thickness in sheltered
and exposed locations.
Adding strength
Piers are recommended to
strengthen the ends of walls of
half-brick and one-brick thickness
as shown in figure 2. Piers would
be suitable to support a light gate,
say 1200mm high by 800mm wide
and weighing a maximum of
10kg. Specialist advice should be
sought for heavier gates.
Increasing the thickness of a
plain wall will improve its wind
resistance, but the plan shape of a
straight solid wall is not very
efficient because of its narrow
base. Curved or zig zag walls have
greater effective width and so bet-
ter resistance to horizontal force;
figure 3 shows typical examples:
staggered, echelon, serpentine
and diaphragm plan forms.
The diaphragm wall is particu-
larly interesting. It appears to be a
thick wall, but it is not solid. Cross
ribs (usually at five stretcher inter-
vals) are bonded into both half-
brick leaves so the whole structure
acts as one in resisting wind forces.
A diaphragm wall of one and a
half bricks overall thickness uses
less than 5% more material than a
one-brick thick solid wall, but can
resist wind loads on walls over 2m
high in most locations. Increasing
the overall width of the wall, and
hence the length of the ribs,
creates a very strong structure.

14
 3 Efficient planforms
Diaphragm walls of 440mm over-
all (two bricks) and 3m high are
stable in exposed locations. Tall
walls of this type are sometimes
found enclosing the gardens of
Victorian country houses.
Piers can also be used to stiffen
a straight freestanding wall, but
must project both sides and need
to be quite large to be very effec-
tive. Their efficiency can be great-
ly improved by reinforcement
with built-in vertical steel rods
anchored into the foundations.
Half-brick thick walls with rein-
forced piers 1800mm apart can be
stable up to 2.5 m high.
BRE Good Building Guide 19,
Building reinforced, diaphragm and
wide plan freestanding walls, provides
detailed guidance on the design
and construction of these more
efficient forms. Values for wall
height, foundation width and
diameter of steel reinforcement
for piers are given for the various
levels of exposure across the UK.
Movement control
Freestanding walls longer than
about 10m require movement
joints to control expansion caused
4 A serpentine wall
5 A freestanding wall with piers
by changes in moisture content
and temperature. These vertical
joints break the wall into dis-
continuous lengths to prevent
cumulative stress that could cause
cracking, movement or instability.
It is recommended that move-
ment joints be located no further
than 6m from a corner or end, and
no more than 12m apart. If the
wall changes level it is preferable
to locate movement joints at those
positions. Short returns in brick-
work can be rigid, and if they
interrupt long straight runs they
can concentrate stress and cause
cracking. Such returns should be
treated as corners even if they are
only a half brick offset.
Some manufacturers recom-
mend more frequent movement
joints in new freestanding walls.
This is because although the dif-
ferences are not great, some clay
bricks have greater potential for
moisture expansion than others.
A manufacturer’s advice could
be obtained for specific proposals,
but as a general guide the standard
recommendations can be used for
soft-mud, stock and fletton bricks;
however, when low water absorp-
tion, engineering types of brick
are used, the distance of joints
from ends and corners should be
reduced to 4m and the spacing
between joints to 8m.
The joints should be continu-
ous for the full height of the wall,
including any coping or capping.
They should be 15mm wide and
filled with a soft, compressible
polyethylene or polyurethane
cellular foam to keep stones or
mortar out and allow the gap to
close partially over time. Fibre-
board or polystyrene boards are
not compressible enough, a flexi-
ble sealant can give the joint a neat
finish – especially in copings or
cappings – but it must not be
pointed with mortar.
To maintain alignment of the
wall across a movement joint slip
ties can be incorporated, spaced at
third points between ground level
with a topmost tie four or five
courses below the top of the wall.
Ties should be of stainless steel,
shaped at one end to bond with
mortar in a bed joint on one side
of the movement joint. The other
end should be plain and enclosed
in a plastic sleeve with a gap at the
ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY MIKE HAMMETT
A wall half a brick
thick is not stable
above 725mm
high, even in a
very sheltered
location
end at least equal to the width of
the movement joint; it is set in the
corresponding mortar joint in the
adjoining length of wall. The ties
allow the movement gap to close,
but resist any other movement.
Durability
Because they are exposed to the
weather on both faces, freestand-
ing walls get wetter and colder
than the external walls of build-
ings and remain so for longer, so
durability is a prime considera-
tion. For guidance on selection of
bricks and mortars, BDA Design
Note 7 ‘Brickwork durability’ is
available to download free on
www.brick.org.
15
 Detail

The Brick Development Association’s member companies

Baggeridge Brick Ibstock Brick

Tel: 01902 880555 Tel: 01530 261999
Email: enquiries@baggeridge.co.uk www.ibstock.co.uk
www.baggeridge.co.uk Kingscourt Brick
Blockleys Brick Tel: +353 (0)42 9667317
Tel: 01952 251933 Email: info@kingscourtbricks.ie
Email: sales@blockleys.com www.laganbrick.com
www.michelmersh.com Michelmersh Brick & Tile Co o
Bovingdon Brickworks Tel: 01794 368506
Tel: 01442 833176 Email: sales@michelmersh.co.uk
Email: info@bovingdonbricks.co.uk www.michelmersh.com
www.bovingdonbricks.co.uk Normanton Brick Co
Broadmoor Brickworks Tel: 01924 892142/01924 895863
Tel: 01594 822255 Fax: 01924 223455
Fax: 01594 826782 Northcot Brick
Email: sales@broadmoor-brickworks.co.uk Tel: 01386 700551
Bulmer Brick & Tile Co Email: info@northcotbrick.co.uk
Tel: 01787 269232 www.northcotbrick.co.uk
Fax: 01787 269040 Ormonde Brick
Email: bbt@bulmerbrickandtile.co.uk Tel: +353 (0)56 44 41323
Caradale Brick Email: ormondeb@iol.ie
Tel: 01501 730671 www.ormondebrick.ie
Fax: 01501 732991 Phoenix Brick Company
Email: Carolyn@caradale.co.uk Tel: 01246 233223
Carlton Brick Email: enquries@bricksfromphoenix.co.uk
Tel: 01226 711521 www.bricksfromphoenix.co.uk
Direct sales line: 01226 715000 Wm C Reade of Aldeburgh
Email: sales@carltonbrick.co.uk Tel: 01728 452982
ww.carltonbrick.co.uk Fax: 01728 454957
Charnwood Forest Brick Email: reception@msoakesltd.co.uk
Tel: 01509 503203 Swarland Brick Co
Email: sales@charnwoodforest.com Tel: 01665 574229 Three-hole perforated bricks have been cut along their short axis and the
www.michelmersh.com Fax: 01665 574400 bricks laid as headers with the cut perforations exposed as shown above.
Chartwell Brickworks Email: chris@swarlandbrick.fsnet.co.uk
Tel: 01732 463712 Tyrone Brick
Email: info@chartwellbrickworks.com Tel: 02887 723421
wwwchartwellbrickworks.com Email: sales@tyrone-brick.com
Coleford Brick & Tile www.tyrone-brick.com It’s all back to front
Tel: 01594 822160 The York Handmade Brick Co
Email: sales @colefordbrick.co.uk Tel: 01347 838881
www.colefordbrick.co.uk Built using conventional cavity masonry, South Bank University’s
Email: sales@yorkhandmade.co.uk
Dunton Brothers www.yorkhandmade.co.uk £17m Keyworth Centre is an imposing landmark in London’s Ele-
Tel: 01494 772111 W H Collier phant & Castle area. Designed by BDP and completed in 2003, the
Email: sales@duntons.com Tel: 01206 210301 nine-storey building provides lecture theatres, teaching spaces and
www.michelmersh.com Email: sales@whcollier.co.uk offices.
Errol Brick www.whcollier.co.uk
Tel: 01821 642653
Red brickwork is an important element in the design. Used exter-
Wienerberger
Email: info@errolbrick.co.uk Tel: 0161 491 8200
nally to clad lift cores, staircases and three sides of the building, it is
www.errolbrick.co.uk Email: office@wienerberger.co.uk also used internally as a fairfaced surface in the atrium and in the
Freshfield Lane Brickworks www.wienerberger.co.uk main circulation cores. To articulate these large surfaces, the archi-
Tel: 01825 790350 The Brick Development Association tect devised rectangular textured panels that are not more than 2m
Email: sales@flb.uk.com Tel: 01344 885651
www.flb.uk.com high. One type exposed the linear ribbing normally seen on the cav-
Email: brick@brick.org.uk
Hammill Brick www.brick.org.uk ity side of the brick. The other was formed by cutting the ‘three-hole’
Tel: 01304 617613 bricks in half along their short axis to give two bricks that were laid as
Email: info@hammillbrick.co.uk headers, with the cut perforations exposed (above, with lift button).
www.hammillbrick.co.uk
Because through-coloured bricks were used, the cut surfaces did not
Hanson Building Products show any colour variations. The result is an attractive, highly rusti-
Tel: 0870 609 7092
Email: info@hansonbp.com cated surface.
www.hansonbrick.com ‘This is a good example of interesting brickwork at no extra cost,’
HG Matthews says project architect Ray Cano Perez. ‘The effect is simple, easy and
Tel: 01494 758212 cheap. Having the bricks cut by the manufacturer proved signifi-
Email: hgmbricks@hotmail.co.uk
www.hgmatthews.com
cantly cheaper and more precise than cutting them on site.’

16