In an Australian first, world renowned architect Frank Gehry has lent his highly sought-after hands to the design of the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building for the Business School of the University of Technology Sydney. Utilising no less than 320,000 custom-made Bowral Bricks, the building has been heralded as the centrepiece of the $1-billion City Campus Master Plan.

Known globally for his cutting edge and innovative architectural creations, this new Gehry masterpiece is certainly no exception. The building represents the culmination of a ten year design and construction program that has not only transformed the university, but the southern CBD at large.

Bowral Bricks were thrilled to win the contract to work with the design team on this state of the art project.

“We’re proud to be a part of such an innovative an exciting project and to have worked with Frank Gehry on his very first Australian construction. The complex and cutting edge design of the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building will surely see it become one of the most iconic buildings in the Sydney landscape. This project marks a milestone for Bowral Bricks. “- Brett Ward, General Manger Marketing, Brickworks Building Products.

The custom-made bricks were manufactured at the Bowral Bricks factory in Bowral. The team created a bespoke brick range to compliment the complex textured design of the building’s unique façade design, which is based on the idea of a tree house structure.

In keeping with the typical Gehry style, the building showcases two aesthetically distinct external façades. One side is composed of undulating brick, referencing the sandstone and the dignity of Sydney’s urban brick heritage, with the other side showcasing large, angled sheets of glass to fracture and mirror the image of surrounding buildings.

A total of five custom-made, buff coloured brick shapes were developed specifically for the build, each brick designed to serve a unique purpose and function. The staggering 320,000 Bowral Bricks that form the impressive exterior were all aid by hand to ensure an uncompromising degree of quality was maintained and Gehry’s highly precise design aesthetic was achieved.

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