The Crown Palladium in Melbourne was filled with members of the architectural community who attended a gala ceremony on Thursday, 10 August for the announcement of the 2017 Think Brick Award winners, which showcased the most innovative and creative uses of clay bricks, concrete masonry and roof tiles in Australian contemporary architecture.

Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO of Think Brick Australia, said, “Once again the calibre of entries was inspiring. This year we saw some impressive innovation in the use of brick, masonry and roof tiles that really pushed the boundaries of contemporary architecture. We saw design that was unexpectedly delightful and playful, design that displayed sophisticated reimagining of classical shapes, and also projects that redefined the concept of a simple brick building.

“One of the main trends we noted in the entries was an increase in the use of brick in interiors, particularly as a way to unify indoor and outdoor spaces. Among the entries there was also a real sense of using brick to create a sense of grounded-ness and permanence. We also saw more entries for multi-residential housing, reflecting the increase of apartment dwelling in our inner city areas, plus more use of concrete masonry in residential and commercial interiors,” added Ms McIntyre.

The winners were selected by a jury comprised of seven local and international architecture industry experts including:

• Ben Green, Director of Tzannes
• Debbie Ryan, Founding Owner of McBride Charles Ryan
• Emma Williamson, Director of Cox Architecture
• Alexis and Murat Sanal, Co-founders of SANALarc.
• Cameron Bruhn, Editorial Director of Architecture Media
• Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO of Think Brick Australia

“The gala dinner was our biggest yet with the Australian architectural community celebrating our well-deserving winners, and not only recognising so many excellent examples of using brick in contemporary design and architecture, but also celebrating innovation, forward thinking and how far the industry has come,” said Ms McIntyre.

The Winners were:

• Barkers Road Townhouses by Kavellaris Urban Design – Winner of the Horbury Hunt Commercial Award
• House Au Yeung by Tribe Studio Architects  – Winner of the Horbury Hunt Residential Award
• Crescent House by Deicke Richards – Winner of the Bruce Mackenzie Landscape Award
• Perimeter House by MAKE Architecture – Winner of the Kevin Borland Masonry Award
• Kempsey Crescent Head Surf Life Saving Club by Neeson Murcutt Architects – Winner of the Robin Dods Roof Tile Excellence Award