Brick veneers are designed to mimic the aesthetic qualities of masonry brick, while being cheaper, lighter and thinner. However, until recent times, the use of this increasingly popular material has remained limited to rectilinear shapes rather than flexible forms because of the panels’ rigid backing. By harnessing a small yet novel design detail \u2014 binding bricks together on steel wires \u2014 Flexbrick<\/a> pushes the advantages of panel brick a dramatic step forward, resulting in a pre-fabricated rollout fabric that offers unforeseen possibilities for the creation of large-scale fa\u00e7ade screens.<\/p>\n Excited by the possibilities of this fa\u00e7ade material, we spoke with Vicente Sarrablo, the creator of Flexbrick, to understand how it may be harnessed in creating beautifully light perforated brick fa\u00e7ades.<\/p>\n Top: basic elements of the Flexbrick system via Universidad el Bosque<\/a>; Bottom: <\/i>On-site application of Flexbrick at Virolai Petit Kindergarten in Barcelona,<\/i> images courtesy of Vicente Sarrablo<\/i><\/p>\n Flexbrick’s revolutionary potential lies in the fact that it takes small pieces of brick and sets them into a large-format textile, meaning contractors do not have to lay them one by one. Weighing only 40kg per square-meter, this brick ‘fabric’ allows architects “to design and construct using large-scale formats of up to 20 meters,” which facilitates an incredible breadth of design possibilities. As an open design system, Flexbrick invites designers to mold, push and expand its limits along fa\u00e7ades, pavement, roofing and other continuous surfaces.<\/p>\n Several architects have harnessed the system to create stunning brick screens that not only provide their buildings with protection, shading and ventilation, but also bespoke exteriors that break out of structural norms. Some phenomenal examples include Ampliaci\u00f3n escuela Teresianas-Ganduxer<\/a> by PichArchitects<\/a> and TR House<\/a> by PMMT Architecture<\/a>, which uses Flexbrick with a green ceramic finish to create a verdant pergola.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Simon Garcia | arqfoto<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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