Ideas Library · Exterior
Relief in a Brick Wall: Projecting Courses and Special Shapes
Pattern in brickwork does not have to stay flat. Moving courses forward or back, or using shaped units at the base, the reveals and the head, gives an elevation depth that changes through the day and is made from the same material as the rest of the wall.
Spaces:house facadeextensiongable endboundary or garden wall
Style:texturalcraft-ledtraditionalcontemporary-masonry
Where this idea works
Where this idea works
Contexts this direction tends to suit — and, honestly, where it may not.
- Brick elevations that read as flat and would gain from shadow rather than from a second material
- Walls where relief can be concentrated at the base, the reveals or the top of the wall
- Elevations in areas where relief brickwork is part of the local masonry character
- Projects where the bricklaying skill and the setting-out time are available
Where it may not fit
Where it may not fit
- Highly exposed elevations where projecting ledges would sit in driving rain — a matter for a qualified professional
- Brick slip and other applied facings, whose format does not offer the same third dimension
- Walls where the setting-out cannot absorb the courses that relief requires
Planning
Planning considerations
- Relief is set out in whole courses, so it is decided with the bond rather than added to it afterwards
- Special shapes are ordered rather than improvised, so the schedule has to be settled early
- Projecting courses carry their own weight and may need support — a structural question for a professional
- Confirm locally whether relief brickwork suits the character of this frontage
Layout
Layout considerations
- Relief concentrated in one band reads more strongly than the same amount spread thinly
- Shadow depends on the angle of the sun, so the same detail performs differently on each elevation
- A recessed panel is the quietest form of relief and often the most straightforward to build
- Relief has to turn the corner and stop somewhere, and both are drawn rather than left to the wall
Materials & finishes
Materials and finishes to discuss
Named generically as starting points to discuss with professionals — not specifications, and not priced.
Consider:clay facing brickbrick specials and plinth unitsmasonry mortarengineering brick at the basebrick support angles where neededmovement joints
- Every projection is a ledge that holds water, so what sits on it and how it drains matters
- Units used where they are exposed to frost and saturation need to suit that duty, which is a professional question
- Relief increases the exposed surface area and the number of arrises that can chip
Maintenance & durability
Maintenance and durability questions
- Ledges collect dirt, moss and debris and can streak the wall below them
- Replacing a damaged special is harder than replacing a plain brick, so a few spares are worth keeping
Professional review
What to ask a qualified professional
Bring these questions to a designer, contractor or the relevant qualified professional or authority.
- Which relief details would you consider buildable and appropriate in this brick and this exposure?
- Do any of the projecting courses need support, and what would that be?
- Which special shapes would need scheduling, and when would they have to be ordered?
- How would you stop water standing on the projections being considered here?
- How does relief brickwork interact with the movement joints this wall will need?
More ideas
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