Back to the future with brick

25 August 2006
News release

Back to the future with brick

New colours, new ways with mortar, and a renewed desire for homes that are built to last have cast a new light on the beauty of brick.

Brick is now the preferred choice of cladding for 50% of all new homes built, compared with 30% five years ago.

According to New Zealand brickmaker MonierBrick, which has been making bricks in West Auckland for the past 144 years, the renaissance of brick is a 'back to the future' phenomenon. People have been building with bricks for centuries, and yet today some of the most exciting new architecture is happening in brick.

"We're entering an era where sustainability is the basis of how we build and brick is ideally suited to that," says MonierBrick general manager Hamish Aitken. "It's economical, durable, strong and secure, and it offers the features we want in our homes and buildings - like noise reduction, natural temperature control, and low maintenance."

Over the past three years, MonierBrick has reinvented its product range, working with leading colour consultants to develop new colours and design concepts that deliver a contemporary and different look to brick construction. The products have stimulated interest in brick as a building material. "It's caught us by surprise how successful they've been," Mr Aitken says.

Issued by: True Communications
For: MonierBrick Ltd

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