BIA Opens Entries for 2017 Brick in Architecture Awards

Words: Bronzella Cleveland

Final Deadline is April 30

2016 Brick in Architecture Award Winner (Commercial: Best In Class) Old Parkland Campus in Dallas, Texas.
2016 Brick in Architecture Award Winner (Commercial: Best In Class) Old Parkland Campus in Dallas, Texas.

The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has opened its call for entries for the 2017 Brick in Architecture Awards, the country’s premiere architectural design competition featuring clay brick.

BIA’s annual awards honor outstanding, innovative, and sustainable architecture in 10 categories that incorporate clay brick products as the predominant exterior building or paving material.

Entries must be submitted online by April 30. Projects will be judged by a jury of peers, and the winners will be announced in June.

"Winning a 2016 Best of Class Brick in Architecture Award for IS 230Q was a great marketing tool for our firm,” said Alyson Dunn, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, John Ciardullo, P.C. “The recognition of our project gave us national exposure and showcased our architectural design vocabulary to prospective clients.”

Joy Graham, marketing director for GF55 Partners, said that her firm prides itself in using simple materials in creative ways. “The Brick in Architecture Awards competition helps to highlight our firm’s ability to use brick, a natural and practical material, to elevate our design vision,” said Graham.

Architectural and design firms may enter projects completed since Jan. 1, 2012, in which new clay brick products comprise the predominant exterior building or paving material (over 50 percent), including: 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 units and more.

Entries must be submitted online in one or more of these categories:
Commercial
Education – K-12
Education – Colleges & Universities (Higher Education)
Health Care Facilities
Municipal / Government
Houses of Worship
Residential – Single Family
Residential – Multi-Family
Paving & Landscape Projects
Renovation (Additions) / Restoration (Restoring)

Best in Class winners will receive national recognition through a special Brick in Architecture insert in the December 2017 issue of Architect magazine. Other winners will be included in the insert, Brick News Online and a press release, and all entrants will be featured in BIA’s online Photo Gallery.

What Mason Contractors Don't Know Is Costing Them Money
July 2026

Most mason contractors can tell you exactly what a job should cost before it starts. Bid labor hours, material takeoffs, and crew rates per square foot. The numbers are on paper, and they look right. What most can't tell you is whether those numbers held

Preserving Masonry Aesthetics with Concealed Lintel Systems
July 2026

Masonry has long been valued for its ability to create buildings with character, permanence, and visual appeal. Features such as arches, deep reveals, corbelling, and decorative brickwork continue to be popular design elements in modern architecture. Howe

The Sync Up: Aligning Schedule, Labor, and Logistics in Masonry
July 2026

A masonry contractor is only as good as the crew standing on the staging. You can source the highest-grade block, line up the perfect mix, and have every submittal approved weeks in advance, but production ultimately depends on the stamina, skill, and phy

Color Trends Shaping Today’s Masonry Projects
July 2026

Homeowners today are coming into projects with a lot more opinions than they used to have. Between social media, home shows and contractor sites, most customers already have a look in mind before you even quote the job. For masonry contractors, having a