PGH Mowbray Blue Dry Pressed bricks help create a dramatic entrance to this contemporary Sydney residence. So much so that the brickwork on display won the 2014 Masonry Contractors Award for Single Residential Brickwork.

One of the primary design objectives of the owner, John Jabbour of Destech Building Group and the architects, Sarkis Hill Architects, was to balance an ultra-modern, high-tech, contemporary home, with a preference for heritage building materials that anchor the home to its site and surrounding built environment.

Nowhere is this better exemplified than the impressive front façade and entrance to the home. A structural steel frame used to create a mansard roof is cleverly angled and cantilevered. To support this roof, a massive 100 year old ironbark timber beam is used to great effect.

To one side a seven metre high, pixelated brick wall dominates the entry. This striking sculptural feature wall uses PGH Mowbray Blue Dry Pressed face bricks in a Flemish bond, punctuated with random protrusions, to create a sense of drama and scale. It is seen clearly from street and then carries on through the front entrance and into the house, from where its grandeur is best appreciated.

The mix of modern and heritage building products and techniques continues along the western boundary with a combination of PGH Dry Pressed common bricks, sandstone, fibre cement sheeting, glass and timber panels in blackbutt and spotted gum on the ground floor. The first floor utilises zinc panels mounted to the mansard roof, creating a dramatic internal void that features prominently in the overall design and entrance area.

In contrast, the eastern and rear elevations use more conventional building techniques, with double brick walls, featuring PGH Mowbray Blue Dry Pressed face bricks for the outer skin and Dry Pressed commons for the inner skin. Dry Pressed commons are also used for the majority of internal walls.

These solid bricks are a practical and malleable design tool, offering a level of acoustic and thermal insulation that cannot be achieved with standard brick veneer or timber framed construction.
The decision to use PGH Mowbray Blue Dry Pressed bricks works perfectly with the more contemporary elements used in this home and demonstrates how modern architecture can successfully borrow from the past to deliver stunning contemporary results.

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