Thanks to its natural composition—clay and sand—brick is regarded as an ideal material for durable, resilient structures, even though it is heavier and requires more skilled craftsmanship than many alternative building systems. Brick buildings require minimal maintenance, provide excellent thermal and acoustic performance, and offer an exceptionally long lifespan. Their natural porosity allows walls to breathe, regulating humidity while helping prevent the formation of mould. Brick is non-combustible, inhibits the spread of fire and is fully recyclable. As the following projects demonstrate, it is not only an efficient building material but also one of remarkable architectural expression.
Wall House
Anupama Kundoo
Realised through the inventive use of locally sourced materials, Wall House is the result of extensive research and experimentation into low-impact construction technologies with ecological and socio-economic benefits. In spatial terms, the project redefines the relationship between interior and exterior, as well as the transitional spaces that connect them, integrating the landscape as an inseparable component of the architecture.
The house strikes a refined balance between technological innovation and simple, accessible construction techniques. Skilled craftspeople and unskilled labourers participated equally in its construction. This hybrid approach explores new ways of integrating local vernacular materials—whose production relies on manual work and long-established craft traditions—with advanced construction systems. Conceived as a laboratory for research and experimentation, Wall House stands as a prototype for future architectural developments.
Photography by Javier Callejas; www.javiercallejas.com
www.anupamakundoo.com
Iturbide Studio
Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo
Occupying a compact 7 × 14 metre plot, the three-storey tower is organised around three spatial planes of timber, concrete and marble that extend through the interior to generate voids of varying heights—the courtyards. Their inner façades extend almost imperceptibly into the neighbouring buildings through a woven brick lattice that selectively admits or filters natural light.
Technical spaces, circulation routes and the substantial library are consolidated within a vertical element embedded in the wall, allowing these functions to recede from view so that only the architectural mass remains perceptible. The building seeks tranquillity, synthesis, continuity, repetition and the almost obsessive use of a single material. Through the strategic use of form and proportion, the concrete structure visually recedes, allowing the architecture to emerge from the dialogue between mass and void—an ethereal volume whose character is continually transformed by light and shadow.
Photography by Rafael Gamo; www.rafaelgamo.com
www.tallerdearquitectura.com.mx
Words by Monica Ady
Discover the full version of this story in Volume VI.