Promotion: a Toronto hotel featuring dramatic brick arches and a parking lot converted into a public square in Texas are among the winning projects at the Brick in Architecture Awards.
The Brick Industry Association (BIA) recognised a total of 44 winning projects that demonstrated excellence through designs that used fired-clay brick.
Among the winners were nine projects receiving the highest merit of "best-in-class" across the competition's nine categories, each broken down by type.
Categories ranged from craftsmanship, thin brick, international, residential single family, commercial, residential multi-family, education (colleges and universities), education (schools up to year 12), paving and landscaping, and historic renovation. The organisers said: "These awards celebrate outstanding achievements in the realm of design by honouring projects that exemplify innovation, uniqueness, and aesthetic excellence through the prominent use of clay brick as their primary building material."
The Ace Hotel Toronto was designed by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects. Photo by Scott Norsworthy
The overall craftsmanship award was presented to Ace Hotel Toronto in Canada, designed by Canadian architecture studio Shim-Sutcliffe Architects. The project, which features brick produced by Endicott Clay Products Company, also claimed the best-in-class award in the commercial category.
The modern hotel facade has curvilinear arched elements, accentuated by intricate brickwork executed...