THINK BRICK +WIENERBERGER AG.
Wienerberger AG is Think Brick’s main awards sponsor
“Brick is, arguably, the most architectural of all building materials. Brick is timeless. It defies geography, culture or tradition. Our written history coincides with its early uses not only as a building block but as a medium for storing information. Brick is born of the land, molded with water, baked in the sun and fire, and thus transformed into an abstract building block, that defies any intellectual interpretation. Its semantic language is self referential. Brick dictates technique. Technology follows suit. Brick will do and be, as Louis Kahn noted, only what it wants to do and be. Perhaps herein lies its undying appeal, for it is a material that commands its way into timeless forms and spaces, a material that empowers light and metaphysics without the need of any decorative embellishment or intellectual alibi, a material that is both utterly functional just as much as it is poetic, ancient and modern at the same time, resilient and sustainable.
By choosing brick we are not only choosing a material that lies at the very core of the architectural discourse but also reinterpreting the rich brickmaking tradition once visible in this region. Jimbolia (Ro) and Kikinda (Srb) were until the end of the XXth century, power houses within this industry. Brick not only built this region’s villages and towns and cities, but its economy as well, and through it, its culture. A culture that, just as its economy, seems at a loss for present day communities. Think Brick would like to deal with this loss, and reopen a debate around our profession, and our mission as architects dealing with such complex issues. Think BRICK!”
excerpt from our Think Brick project brief.
We are glad to announce that the world’s largest producer of brick and ceramic tiles, Wienerberger AG, has agreed to support our program by granting the necessary funding for the competition awards. As a top regional as well as european manufacturer, the Wienerberger company has distinguished itself in relation to our profession through its many programs, but mostly through its now famous BRICK Award, an open international competition highlighting good design practice in relation to ceramic materials. It has thus greatly contributed to the continuous enhancement of architectural discourse and professional practice. When looking for a commercial partner, with a reputable and well defined international profile, Wienerberger AG became the first natural choice for Triplex Confinium academic partners. We are thrilled that our pitch for the Think Brick competition was met with immediate and full support, and look forward to our common events with Wienerberger’s technicians and representatives, as they will be giving their insight in brick production and brick laying techniques during our two summer schools in Jimbolia and Kikinda.
Thank you Wienerberger AG.
Think Brick!
text. Cristian Blidariu
