Brick is Back in the U.S.A.! The exterior wall material is making a return

After years of decline, the use of clay brick as an exterior wall material for single-family homes is seeing a comeback in the United States and is gaining popularity amongst both builders and homebuyers.

This was confirmed by the 2020 Annual Builder Practices Survey conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs for the Brick Industry Association (BIA), the association representing 26 US brick producers (more than 70% of all companies in the sector).

However, the survey of more than 200 builders conducted last December found that larger builders are more inclined to use brick than their smaller counterparts. For builders who complete more than 51 homes a year, 42% say they have used brick more often in the last 3 years, while the percentage is slightly smaller (35%) for those who build 11 to 50 homes a year. But only two out of ten smaller builders (those constructing 10 or fewer homes a year) reported an increase in the use of brick.

According to the survey, brick is perceived as an aesthetically pleasing, high quality, and safe material and its usage is likely to continue its upward trajectory.

There are several reasons for this. For builders who reported an increase in usage, the top driver was the aesthetic of brick (45% of respondents), followed by specific requests on the part of homebuyers (40%). Other factors included durability and a more favourable cost compared to alternative materials such as stucco or stone. A key factor in the decision to use brick is the knowledge that brick houses are healthier, safer and more energy-efficient, making them higher quality properties that are easier to sell.

The study findings point to a potentially strong future for clay brick in the United States. Homebuying behaviour in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic is shifting the market towards the luxury home segment consisting of larger, better-appointed homes and consequently greater use of brick. Another factor is land availability. With developable land in increasingly short supply, building lots in older neighbourhoods continue to make up a larger proportion of new homes (infill lots and teardowns). In these neighbourhoods, there is a preference for traditional architectural styles which tend to favour brick over other materials.

BIA announces the 2020 Brick in Architecture Award Winners

On March 8, 2021, the Brick Industry Association awarded the 2020 Brick in Architecture Awards, the US premier design competition featuring clay brick. According to Ray Leonhard, BIA’s President and CEO, all 41 winning projects “show there’s virtually no limit to brick as a leading element of sustainable design”.

Among the 2020 Best in Class winners, in the “Residential – Multifamily” category BIA awarded the project realised by CannoDesign Architect at 1720 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, featuring bricks manufactured by Palmetto Brick Company and distributed by Diener Brick Company.

In the “Residential – Single Family” category the award went to the “High Park Residence” project realised by Batay-Csorba Architects in Toronto (Ontario, Canada), using bricks manufactured by Glen-Gery Corporation and distributed by Mason’s Masonry Supply.