Red Brick: 8 Masters of Architecture Reinventing a Classic Building Material

Of humble origins, associated with traditional construction, its structural form redesigned a thousand times. Red brick has survived all trends thanks to its durability, its expressiveness, and its direct connection to the land and its native environment. 

It insulates against heat, regulates interior temperature, is a great ally over time, and connects buildings to their surroundings in an almost organic way. The choice of red brick for the construction of a space is no coincidence: exposed brick, historically associated with modest or functional elements, is now experiencing an aesthetic renaissance.

For centuries, red brick has been synonymous with traditional construction. William Morris (1834, Walthamstow, UK – 1896, London, UK) promoter of the Arts & Crafts movement, He was one of the first to dignify exposed brick as the main material of the Red House , a declaration of intent in favor of craftsmanship and the authenticity of materials that accompanies his ideology. The truth is that classic red brick has the ability to provide a timeless color and style, recognized for decades as one of the most affable, malleable, and universal materials in the construction sector.

The Red House. William Morris. Via algargosarte.blogspot.com

Its heat-insulating qualities, its durability and resistance to the passage of time, its color, and its texture have made it the perfect medium for architects seeking to unite the ancient with the contemporary. Thus, contemporary architecture has turned to it, not only as a constructive solution but also as a concept.

The city of Madrid boasts one of Spain's most iconic architectural landmarks built from exposed red brick: the Hexagon Pavilion . Built to represent Spain at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958, the building now houses the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation , which promotes the creation of contemporary art. Companies like Pitelli Cerámica reinterpret this material with products like the breaker, combining tradition and sophistication. Other examples of contemporary architecture include the Seoul home by STPMJ Arquitectos, which demonstrates how red brick , arranged in light patterns and slender structures, can interact with new formal languages ​​in their Five Storey House project. Likewise, urban projects such as Myle City in South Korea explore the potential of brick as a symbol of local identity and sustainability. In the European context, ephemeral proposals such as those by Palma + Hanghar at the Concéntrico Festival structure the idea of ​​reimagining brick as a playful and modular device for activating public space. In this way, FSRRM, by inserting itself into brick architecture, connects with the material memory of modernity and, in turn, with contemporary sensibility.

These eight architects demonstrate with diverse works that brick was and continues to be much more than a poor material. It is also a way of seeing, of living, and of building a future with memory.

Eladio Dieste (1917, Artigas, Uruguay – 2000, Montevideo, Uruguay)

An engineer and architect known as "the Lord of the Bricks," he demonstrated that brick could be structural "poetry." His works, such as the Church of Atlantis, are pure emotional engineering far ahead of its time, exposed brick with steel reinforcement, which he defined as reinforced ceramic.

Church of Christ the Worker and Our Lady of Lourdes of Atlantis, a World Heritage Site. Architect Eladio Dieste. Photo 1, 2: via uruguayxxi.gub.uy; Photo 3: Interior of the Church of Christ the Worker and Our Lady Lourdes of Atlantis ©GONZALO VIRAMONTE

Louis Kahn (1901, Estonia, Russian Empire - 1974, Philadelphia, United States)

His work was one of the key aspects of 20th-century architecture, elevating brick to a monumental level. At the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, his brick walls not only support but also shape light, space, and atmosphere, transforming matter into architectural emotion, where brick stands out as the primary material.

1. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad Louis Kahn. Photo © Klaus-Peter Gast; 2. One of the 18 older, at-risk brick dorm buildings (Students of IIMA/Wikimedia Commons)

Alvar Aalto (1898 Kuortane, Finland –1976, Helsinki, Finland)

An architect and designer, Aalto embraced brick in projects such as the Helsinki University of Technology, seeking to imbue the architecture with warmth, humanity, and resilience against the harsh local climate. His vision of red brick takes us to the use of the material to create unique, irregular structural forms.

1. Exterior view of the building. Renovation of the Aalto University Undergraduate Centre by Arkkitehdit NRT Oy. Photograph © Tuomas Uusheimo; 2. Aalto University. via 4.bp.blogspot.com

Rogelio Salmona (1927 Paris, France – 2007 Bogotá, Colombia)

Places Within Places is a clear example of the concept and composition of his architecture. He transformed brick into a language of his own. Works such as the Torres del Parque in Bogotá simultaneously exude modernity and cultural roots. The European influence in his infrastructure is also highlighted by the asymmetrical and irregular placement of the bricks as an individual feature.

1. Park Towers. Bogotá, Colombia. Image © Camilo Monzón 2. National Archives. Image © Enrique Guzmán 3. Graduate School of Human Sciences Building, National University of Colombia © Amariarv

James Thomas Lile (1931, Ohio, USA - 2022, Pennsylvania, USA)

American architect who was part of a generation that embraced modernism. Throughout his career, he worked at the firm of Alexander Ewing & Associates in Philadelphia, where he became a partner in 1973. His work reflected the use of materials such as brick, concrete, and glass, blending the functional with the aesthetically innovative. A street-level work is 145 Natoma Street in San Francisco .

145 Natoma Street San Francisco. By Thomas Lile, 1971. Via Instagram @pacificmodernism

Álvaro Siza (1933, Matosinhos, Portugal)

Siza is known for his subtle, almost invisible use of red brick, creating a dialogue with urban landscapes that respects local history without sacrificing contemporary architecture. His work on the Llinars del Vallès Auditorium Theatre is a clear example of how tradition and contemporaneity can blend seamlessly.

Auditorium Theater of Llinars del Vallès, Catalonia. By Álvaro Siza Vieira, Aresta and GOP Photography © João Morgado. Via metalocus.es

Herzog & de Meuron (Jacques Herzog, 1950, Basel, Switzerland; Pierre de Meuron, 1950, Basel, Switzerland)

The international firm and its team have pushed brick to the limits of innovation. The brick skin of the Tate Modern in London not only pays homage to the building's industrial past, but also highlights it in its technique.

Tate Modern. Extension. London. Photo © Roland Halbe. Via https://arquitecturaviva.com

Rafael Moneo (1937, Tudela, Spain)

A Spanish architect who has found in brick an ally to connect the present and the past. Works such as the expansion of Atocha Station in Madrid demonstrate how this type of traditional material can take on a new contemporary interpretation without losing its historical roots in a classic yet contemporary style.

Image: Rafael Moneo. 1984–2012. First Extension of Atocha Station, Madrid, 1984–1992. Photography: Michael Morán https://rafaelmoneo.com/projects/expansion-of-atocha-station/

Far from being relegated to a secondary role, this material is resurfacing in the hands of some of the world's most influential architects, who are revaluing it as a symbol of identity, permanence, and modernity. The austerity of brick allows tradition to be reclaimed in contemporary architectural practices, providing a texture that intensifies aesthetic perception. Thus, a refined dialogue is established between art, architectural memory, and new cultural sensibilities. Far from being an ordinary material, red brick remains a raw material charged with transformation. In the hands of design and architecture, it becomes a form of language capable of building bridges between yesterday and tomorrow, between earth and form, between the ordinary and the conceptual. Red brick is compelling not only for its honest aesthetics but also for its performance; a material with a past, present, and future.