Entries for 2015 Brick in Architecture Awards Open

Words: Bronzella Cleveland

The Brick Industry Association (BIA) invites entries for its 2015 Brick in Architecture Awards now through Apr. 30, 2015. BIA’s annual design competition honors outstanding, innovative, and sustainable architecture that incorporates clay brick products as the predominant exterior building or paving material.

Competition rules and entries will be conducted online at www.gobrick.com/architectureawards, and winners will be announced in June.

“The Brick in Architecture Awards program offers the most prestigious juried competition of its kind,” said Ray Leonhard, BIA president & CEO. “Architects are inspired by fired clay brick’s aesthetic flexibility to match their imagination and desires, and as a material made from abundant natural resources, it’s a perfect strategy in sustainable design.”

Architectural and design firms may enter their best projects to be judged by a jury of their peers. Any work of architecture completed since Jan. 1, 2010, in which new clay brick products comprise the predominant exterior building or paving material (over 50 percent), is eligible. These include face or hollow brick, building brick, thin brick, paving brick, glazed brick, structural glazed facing tile, new clay brick products in special shapes and/or a combination of any of these aforementioned units. An entrant may submit more than one project for consideration, and previously submitted projects can be entered once again as long as they were completed since 2010.

Entries must be submitted online in one or more of the below categories:

  • Commercial (Under $10 Million)
  • Commercial (Over $10 Million)
  • Education – K-12
  • Education – Colleges & Universities (Higher Education)*
  • Health Care Facilities
  • Municipal / Government
  • Houses of Worship
  • Residential – Single Family
  • Residential – Multi-Family
  • Renovation (Additions)** / Restoration (Restoring)
  • Paving & Landscape Projects

*Includes residence halls & academic/administrative building.

**Additions must use at least 50 percent new clay brick products on the building. Restoration must include at least 50% clay brick products, which must be new brick placed in the wall.

Judged by a jury of peers, the 2014 Brick in Architecture Awards spanned almost half the country with more than 150 entries and 40 winners in 22 states and Canada, including green building practices that have earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings.

Lake Erie Brick Listing Highlights The Long-Term Value Of Well-Maintained Masonry
February 2026

A Cleveland.com “House of the Week” feature spotlights a 1932 brick home near Lake Erie with a $1.59 million asking price. For mason contractors, it is another reminder that brick exteriors can be a premium selling point, but only when the masonry is care

Stone Cladding Panels Forecast Signals More Stone Veneer Work For US Mason Contractors
February 2026

A new IndexBox market update says demand for stone cladding panels is expected to accelerate through 2035, fueled by a broader construction upswing. For US mason contractors who install stone veneer, that points to more opportunity, but also more pressure

New Cavity Fire Barrier Guidance Puts Masonry Wall Safety In The Spotlight
February 2026

A masonry trade group has launched a new Technical Committee and released its first guidance focused on cavity fire barriers. For mason contractors, it is a timely reminder that fire performance details in cavity wall construction deserve the same attenti

The Practicality Behind Cavity Walls
February 2026

The construction industry tends to chase certainty. We want walls that never leak, materials that never move, and systems that behave the same in the field as they do on paper. Every generation pushes for a tighter envelope, a thinner assembly, or a smart