DESIGN
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Technical:<br />
Radial<br />
Brickwork<br />
Radialbrickwork cansignificantly<br />
enhance the appearance of a<br />
building, by adding adesign<br />
featurethat can engage withthe<br />
context, express the internal<br />
activities, or suggest streamlined<br />
glamour.Wetend to think that<br />
radial brickworkmeans using<br />
moreexpensivespecial bricks.<br />
This may be true for the glazed<br />
radialssuch as those, for<br />
example, on the featurestair<br />
towersatKillorglinAreaCentre<br />
in County Kerry,Ireland (Murray<br />
O’LaoireArchitects ), wherethe<br />
radius of 1650mm justifies their<br />
use, but it’s not alwaysthe case.<br />
At the Sixth Form College<br />
building in Worcester,byQuattro<br />
Design Architects, it was possible<br />
to use standard bricksinacurved<br />
featurethat was justwithin the<br />
minimum radius of thefour<br />
metres Ibstock would normally<br />
recommend. With their highly<br />
reflectivesurfaces, glazed bricks<br />
can be the least forgiving when set<br />
out on aradius, but even with the<br />
sun shining on them the<br />
cylindrical tower at Worcester<br />
looks veryeffective. The architect’s<br />
careful consideration of the brick<br />
modularsizing forthe window<br />
openings and piers between them<br />
has done much to enhance the<br />
appearance.<br />
Itispossible to achieveeven<br />
tighter radiiwith standard bricks<br />
and avoid an overly facetted<br />
appearance. This does however<br />
require theuse of aHeader Bond<br />
to exploitthe narrower102mm<br />
face. Herethe consideration<br />
concerns not so much the faceting<br />
of thebricks but rather getting<br />
sufficient mortar between them on<br />
the inner intrados of the radius<br />
whilst not having the joints too<br />
wideonthe extrados.<br />
The drawings for the curved<br />
brickwork of Page\Park’s Bluebell<br />
Left<br />
The Local Area Centre at<br />
Killorglin, County Kerry,<br />
wasdesigned as a<br />
landmark building that<br />
formsafocal pointona<br />
newcivicsquarewhen<br />
viewedfromthe town’s<br />
mainroad.The different<br />
functionswithin the<br />
building areexpressed<br />
externally.The public<br />
areas, library and primary<br />
circulation aremade<br />
permeable with large areas<br />
of glazing.Vertical<br />
circulation routes are<br />
pulled out of the body<br />
of the building and<br />
highlighted in an electric<br />
blue glazed brickwhich<br />
wasspecificallymade<br />
to pre-determined radii<br />
in order to achieve a<br />
monolithic finish.The<br />
Council Chamberorpublic<br />
meeting room is awedge<br />
shapedvolume clad in blue<br />
glazed brickwhichprojects<br />
above the roof line of the<br />
adjacent offices.<br />
The use of Ibstock’s<br />
glazed brickonthe curved<br />
stair towerand recessed<br />
Council Chamber is<br />
an important design<br />
element,lendingboth<br />
colourand animation to<br />
the facade addressing<br />
the square.The effect of<br />
wrapping the irregular<br />
forms in the blue glazed<br />
brickexpresses them as<br />
aseeminglyseparate<br />
element flows through<br />
the building.The sheen<br />
of the glazedbrick<br />
emphasises the sculptural<br />
irregularity of the forms.<br />
38 •IBSTOCK <strong>DESIGN</strong> •AUTUMN 2016
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