How do we build?

The art of construction plays a decisive role in our practice. Brick is one of the most common fa?ade materials, chosen for its historical relevance, architectural versatility and relative economy. We are often designing with brick, and looking at pragmatic ways to extract the most from this versatile material. Research and learning from others is a fundamental part of this process.

Rogelio Salmona was a Colombian architect and articulate master builder, whose work I had the opportunity to visit. His geological compositions were more often than not sculpted in brick, endowing each and every project with a careful craftsmanship, rich with texture, detail, space and light. He used brick as a means to embed meaning in his work, adopting and forging construction techniques to reflect history and shape culture. His work is an architecture of movement and event: complex forms develop, brickwork skins gather greater intricacy, and spectacular landscape views draw your eye. His tectonic mastery and relentless innovation with brick was largely unparalleled in South America at the time.

We find inspiration in Salmona’s work, and other pioneers like him. From the scale of a step to a multi-storey tower block, it was with each brick that his architecture transcended construction.

Dominic Dudley - Architect