Award-Winning Brick Designs

Editor, Stephen Kelly

Flashed antique pavers (?EUR??,,????'??Heartland?EUR??,,????'?? by Boral Brick) are the basic hardscape for Legacy Village. Designed substantially in a herringbone pattern, there is distinct decorative banding throughout the site. While this brick has an antique look, there?EUR??,,????'???s a manufacturing method called moulding that can give brick even more antiquity, say a 17th Century look. With this method the clay goes into a mould or box then fired in the kiln. This brick comes out with slightly uneven edges.

For the past 17 years, the Brick Industry Association (BIA) has sponsored the ?EUR??,,????'??Brick In Architecture Awards.?EUR??,,????'?? As the only national association to represent both manufacturers and distributors, BIA is an authority in the clay brick industry and these awards have become the nation?EUR??,,????'???s premiere architectural award featuring clay brick. Architectural and design firms from around the country submit their best material to be judged by a jury of their peers. In this feature we look at two of the ?EUR??,,????'??2006 Brick in Architecture Awards?EUR??,,????'?? winners involving landscape architecture firms. The first is Legacy Village, Lyndhurst, Ohio, Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc., landscape architects; the second is the Beck Cultural Center in Knoxville, Tenn., Carol R. Johnson Associates, landscape architects.

ABOVE & BELOW: A double stretcher and header course combination articulates the light pole locations, accents the rows of bollards, and a decorative raised edge surrounds the tree wells. The character of Legacy Village is especially striking in the evening when lighting brings out these various patterns in a gleaming display of texture and color. Dorsky Hodgson Parish Yue Architects hired The Lighting Practice in Philadelphia to do the lighting elements. The architects specified the site furnishings, except the planters.

Legacy Village, Lyndhurst, Ohio

The city of Lyndhurst is a town of 15,000 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, up at the northeast corner of the state. It is a quiet suburb east of Cleveland. Legacy Village is 615,000 square feet of landscaped plazas, outdoor, upscale shopping, dining and entertainment that opened in fall 2003. It?EUR??,,????'???s a pleasant place to hang out, get some coffee, a bite to eat, buy a book ?EUR??,,????'??? withdraw some money from the ATM, maybe listen to some live music up on the state at the village green. The owner likes to call it a ?EUR??,,????'??lifestyle center.?EUR??,,????'?? The site?EUR??,,????'???s origin was a historic, Midwestern-style family estate. The Village designers took these roots as their reference point to configure a vibrant main street and detailed public spaces, blending fa??? 1/4 ade styles, heights, textures and materials suggesting a streetscape that wasn?EUR??,,????'???t born yesterday?EUR??,,????'??+an image fortified throughout by the warmth and aesthetic appeal of one of man?EUR??,,????'???s oldest building materials?EUR??,,????'??+clay brick. In the American tradition Legacy Village is organized around a central village green, with a complex designed for year-round use and pedestrian oriented, even in the harsh Ohio climate. It features a central lawn, fountains and a stage for concerts and other community events.

In the American tradition Legacy Village is organized around a central village green, pedestrian- oriented and meant for year-round use, even in the harsh Ohio climate. It features a central lawn, fountains and a stage for concerts and other community events. The metered parking money goes to charity.

The paving is the principal detail element with a scale that defines pedestrian ways and connects the various areas. Designed substantially in a herringbone pattern, there is distinct decorative banding throughout the site. A double stretcher and header course combination articulates the light pole locations, accents the rows of bollards, and a decorative raised edge surrounds the tree wells. Changes in the brick patterns clearly announce the various circulation routes and are integral to creating visual clarity of the spaces. Where paving materials change, a new pattern anchors the building to the ground and maintains a consistent design vocabulary around the entire complex.

Legacy Village has a generous 13-foot wide sidewalk. The first eight feet out from the building edge is heated, with the remaining five feet dedicated for site furniture, brick planters, trees and a place to stack snow. A drain slot is incorporated into the brick pattern for runoff. Honey locusts and red maples border the walk.

 

The vast majority of brick produced in the U.S., according to Boral Brick, is ?EUR??,,????'??extruded,?EUR??,,????'?? i.e., pushed through a die and cut to size. Most extruded brick, like the Heartland Flashed Boral Antique Pavers pictured here and at Legacy Village, is manufactured to identical ASTM specifications for strength, size and durability.

The designers employed a generous 13-foot sidewalk. The first eight feet out from the building edge is heated, with the remaining five feet dedicated to street amenities, such as site furniture and trees and as a place to stack snow. A drain slot has even been incorporated into the brick pattern at that interface.

• Project: Legacy Village, Lyndhurst, Ohio
• Owner: First Interstate Properties
• Architect: Dorsky Hodgson, Parrish, Yue
• Landscape Architect: Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc., Scott Rykiel, principal
• Manufacturer: Boral Bricks
• Award: The Brick Industry?EUR??,,????'???s 2006 Brick in Architecture Awards?EUR??,,????'??+Bronze

About Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc.

The firm, founded in 1983 as Catherine Mahan and Associates, had its beginnings in a two-room studio of an 18th century rowhouse in the Mt. Vernon district of Baltimore, Md. The firm was built by a small group of women who recall storing drawings in a bathtub, and closing off pocket doors between two rooms when a conference area was required. The leaf design of the firm logo was drawn from the detailed carvings around the huge fireplace.

The firm soon expanded to accommodate larger projects, such as the expansion of the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the planting design for Baltimore?EUR??,,????'???s 27-mile light rail system.

With the addition of partner Scott Rykiel in 1992, the office expanded further and moved to larger quarters?EUR??,,????'??+in a 19th century mill building in the Mount Washington neighborhood. The company notes: ?EUR??,,????'??Here, we enjoyed our first on-site parking, our first networked computers, and learned firsthand the challenging lessons of working in a 100-year flood plain.?EUR??,,????'??

ABOVE & BELOW: The clay brick paving pattern for the centerpiece of the outdoor space at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center was inspired by a tribal art plaque basket (below) crafted by the Makonde of Tanzania, Africa, who use native materials of their southeastern coastal region. Baskets of this sort are traditionally used as gifts among tribes or bartered to traders. Village children will gather grasses and other materials for the adults to weave and dye. This particular type of basket was likely used to set above boiling water to steam vegetables or other foods.

The Beck Cultural Center

The Beck Cultural Exchange Center in Knoxville, Tenn., is dedicated to the research, collection, conservation and exhibition of achievements of African Americans in eastern Tennessee. The various collections include photography, oral histories, biographical sketches, fine art, newspapers and books written by local authors.

The Beck Cultural Exchange Center is just a few blocks from downtown Knoxville, a short walk from the Alex Haley Statue at Haley Heritage Square. The center was founded in 1975, named for the late James Garfield Beck and his wife, Mrs. Ethel Beck, two of Knoxville?EUR??,,????'???s most prominent and influential people in the black community during the 1920s through the 1940s. Mr. Beck, a graduate of Knoxville College, taught in Kentucky, became principal of the Lonsdale School in Knoxville, headed the English department of Austin High School and in 1913 became the first black clerk of the Knoxville Post Office. He helped organize the local chapter of the NAACP and ran for the Knoxville City Council in 1951.

Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc. prepared the master plan for the Beck Cultural Exchange Center in Knoxville, Tenn., which also included a botanical garden and event space.

Mrs. Beck, educated at Morristown Normal College, came to Knoxville after her marriage to Mr. Beck and became active in community activities. Through real estate holdings, the Becks became wealthy and financially supported local causes. The Beck Cultural Exchange Center is a direct result of their benevolent nature and social consciousness. One of their more significant contributions was leading the establishment of the Knoxville Colored Orphanage in 1919. Before Ethel Beck was elected to head the orphanage?EUR??,,????'???s management board, the project appeared doomed, but within two years she had cleared the orphanage debts and had a sturdy brick building built. In 1941, the name of the orphanage became the Ethel Beck Home for Children.

These interlocking pavers are hardened Triassic shale for sand-based applications. The beveled edges make it easy to install and to flip over should the need arise. Spacer nibs make for consistent joints with virtually no edge chipage. Withstanding 12,178 psi, Pinehall says the pavers are stronger than concrete and have low water-absorption (5-6 percent). The colors are vitrified at 2,000?????F. The interlocking modular pavers have the traditional edge (2 1/4" x 4" x 8" and 2 1/4").

Master Plan for the Beck Cultural Exchange Center

As consultants to the architects under contract with the Public Building Authority of Knox County and the city of Knoxville, Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc. prepared a master plan for the Beck Cultural Exchange Center site that included a botanical garden and event space. The site design takes cues from local African American heritage and incorporates artifacts that are part of the Beck Center, such as inscribed marble stones. Following the master plan, CRJA prepared design development drawings and construction documents and performed construction administration.

Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc. prepared construction documents for the project, including several site details like this one for the brick installation.

Originally known locally as the Beck House because of its home-like appearance inside and out, the larger institution-like center now brings access to an expanded, enhanced museum, cultural center, and a specially designed library that focuses on the needs of the community. The total project budget was $2,150,500 for architectural and site improvements.

Courtyard Red

Autumn Blend

English-Edge-Dark

English-Edge-Buff

The clay brick paving pattern for the centerpiece of the outdoor space was inspired by a tribal art plaque basket crafted by the Makonde of Tanzania, Africa, who use native materials of their southeastern coastal region. Baskets of this sort are traditionally used as gifts among tribes or bartered to traders.

The diameter of this brick design is 26 feet. The distance of the lightning strikes from the center are noted. Careful thought, skilled craftsmanship and a commitment to safe pedestrian travel by the general contractor?EUR??,,????'???s masons helped to ensure tight jointing around the smaller radii. A removable concrete ?EUR??,,????'??placeholder?EUR??,,????'??? at the layout?EUR??,,????'???s center will be home for a future bronze medallion.

Village children will gather grasses and other materials for the adults to weave and dye. This particular type of basket were stacked above boiling water to steam vegetables. The pattern can be found today commercially under the name ?EUR??,,????'??Lightning Strikes.?EUR??,,????'??

South African art such as this tends to be more utilitarian than the more figurative and better-known West African traditional signs. The demand for South African art has increased substantially since the fall of apartheid and the ensuing democratic dispensation. This interest, combined with a very low supply of objects created in South Africa, has yielded very high values. Zulu art of this region is becoming increasingly noticeable in Europe and America.

• Project: Beck Cultural Exchange Center, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Client: Public Building Authority, Knox County, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Prime Consultant/Architect: Sparkman & Associates Architects, Inc.
• Landscape Architect: Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc.
• General Contractor: Johnson & Galyon
• Manufacturer: Pine Hall Brick Co., Inc.
• Vendor: Knox Brick
• Award: The Brick Industry?EUR??,,????'???s 2006 Brick in Architecture Awards?EUR??,,????'??+Silver

About Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc. (CRJA)

Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc. (CRJA) is an award-winning landscape architectural design and environmental planning firm with offices in Boston, Mass. and Knoxville, Tenn., founded in 1959. The practice has grown into a 60-person firm serving national and international clients. CRJA has long-standing relationships with many of the country's leading architects and engineers.