Northcot Project is the ‘Supreme Winner’ of the Brick Awards

Northcot Brick’s flagship project, the Newport Street Gallery, has been declared the outright winner of the‘Supreme Award’ - the highest accolade given by the Brick Development Association (BDA) in its annual ‘Brick Awards’.

As one of the longest established and most widely respected building awards in the UK, the annual BDA Brick Awards recognise excellence in design and construction using brick.

The Newport Street Gallery not only claimed the 2016 ‘Supreme Award’ but also topped the ‘Best Public Building’ category. The judges were captivated by the ‘quietly spoken, assured confidence’ of the building, stating that the quality of the brickwork and associated detail was exceptionally high.

For Northcot Brick, this is the second successive year thatit has created a unique blend of bricks and matching specials for a BDA ‘Supreme Award’ winner, following the success of Manchester’s Whitworth in 2015.

Designed by architects Caruso St John, the Newport Street Gallery occupies a terrace of new-build and refurbished blocks that line Newport Street’s eastern side opposite the elevated railway arches in Vauxhall, south London.

The project involved the conversion of three listed buildings, which had been purpose-built in 1913 as scenery painting workshops for the booming Victorian theatre industry in the West End. The gallery runs the length of the street, with the three Victorian buildings flanked at either side by new buildings.

The new semi-industrial facades were made with two distinct bespoke blends of brick, which were specially created by Northcot Brick,a manufacturer known for its advanced colour-matching expertise and traditional techniques, to closely match the ‘common’ style brick of the listed buildings.

The majority was constructed in Newport Light blend (181,000 bricks) a hard pale brick,and Newport Dark blend (17,000 bricks), both of which were laid in a mixture of header and stretcher bonds.

In addition, 6,000 bespoke handmade and standard machine made special shapes were manufactured to the architect’s specifications to match both blend types.

The BDA Judging panel stated that the new brickwork successfully complements the industrial quality of the original building, maintaining its personality and rawness, perfectly meeting the criteria for showcasing Damien Hirst’s art: “The choice of brick on the exterior is absolutely spot on and seamlessly links to context. A beautiful hard brick that is modern but industrial in character.”

Michael Brown Managing Director Northcot Brick said: “It has been a privilege to work with Caruso St John and to be associated with such as prestigious and iconic building.

“This is the second time that Northcot Brick has created a bespoke blend of bricks for a BDA ‘supreme winner,’underlining our commitment to manufacturing high quality, characterful brickwork that offers architects endless possibilities in creative design”.

Click onto the 2016 BDA award video for more information about this award-winning project.

For more information about Northcot Brick, download their new brochure, or telephone: 01386 700551. Fax: 01386 700852. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit: www.northcotbrick.co.uk