Beautiful brick architecture honored at BRICK AWARD 26

The winners of BRICK AWARD 26 have been revealed, celebrating “brick and ceramic building products as timeless materials for innovative and forward-looking architecture.” Presented every two years since 2004 by Wienerberger AG, the 2026 edition honored six projects chosen from a shortlist of 50 projects. 

Projects were chosen according to their “skilful and innovative” use of brick, including aesthetics, shape, and configuration of the project. In addition, sustainability, climate resilience, energy efficiency, and affordable living received special attention from the jury. 

The winning entries are as follows:

Đạo Mẫu Temple and Museum in Soc Son, Vietnam by ARB Architects

Project excerpt: “This year’s Grand Prize was awarded to Đạo Mẫu Temple and Museum in Soc Son, Vietnam, winner of the Sharing public spaces category. The design by ARB Architects for folk artist Xuân Hinh draws inspiration from deep-rooted traditions, melding a spiritual aesthetic with contemporary life to create a sense of serenity across the 5,000 sqm site. The carbon-negative project upcycled some six million clay tiles sourced from more than 500 local homes, creating a unique and sacred connection with the people of the region.”

Ca na Birgit_Ted'A arquitectes in Mallorca, Spain by Luis Diaz Diaz

Project excerpt: The Feeling at home category was won by Ca na Birgit (Birgit’s Home), designed by TEd'A arquitectes. Built on the cliffs of Ses Penyes Rotges in the west of Mallorca using locally sourced brick, the open-plan, single-family home encompasses a built area of just 194 sqm. The design sensitively addresses the demands of the local climate and environment while responding with ingenuity to the limitations imposed by the location. On the one hand, the house has to look out to the sea, while on the other, it has to be shielded from the neighbors’ sight. The project is based on a single gesture that solves both issues: it defines two deep walls set parallel to the neighboring properties, which frame the sea view while providing privacy.

Social Atrium - 54 Dwellings in the Besòs in Barcelona, Spain by Peris+Toral Arquitectes 

Project excerpt: Peris+Toral Arquitectes won the Living together award for a mixed-use building in Barcelona, Spain, featuring 54 social rental apartments. The innovative nature of the design is revealed in a bioclimatic Social Atrium, which connects the homes with social amenities on the ground floor. As well as creating a welcoming communal space, the biomass-fired brick used in the interior and exterior facade keeps the building warm in winter and cool and ventilated in summer.

Warehouse and Offices for Clase Azul La Hacienda Jalisco in Los Altos de Jalisco, Mexico by Atelier Ars 

Project excerpt: The Working together award was won by La Hacienda Jalisco in Mexico by ATELIER ARS. The warehouse and office development for tequila maker Clase Azul used local ceramics and stone from the site excavation to anchor the buildings in their volcanic topography. From the east, the building appears as a “ceramic horizon”, thanks to a roof clad with traditional clay elements, which physically anchors the building to the earth, producing a topographic relationship with the terrain, blurring the lines between architecture and landscape.

Endless Brick Playground in Hangzhou, China by Prof. Lichao Chen

Project excerpt: The winner of the Building outside the box category – Endless Brick Playground – was not strictly an engineering project but rather the outcome of the “Fundamentals of Masonry” course for first-year undergraduates at the School of Architecture, China Academy of Art in Hangzhou. Over five weeks, students are tasked with designing a brick-built structure using red bricks as the sole material. Between 2014 and 2024, nearly 80 students have participated in construction on this site, erecting a total of 48 brick-built structures, with students voting annually to dismantle some previous works to make room for new creations. By the end of 2024, the 26 structures preserved in the "Endless Brick Playground" revealed myriad possibilities of form and spatial expression.

A social and urban infill project in Kortrijk, Belgium by MAKER 

Project excerpt: In addition, the jury decided to award a special prize to an innovative common living concept. This social and urban infill project in Kortrijk, Belgium, reimagines a neighborhood of 54 homes as a contemporary garden city, fostering stronger connections between residents and the surrounding nature, while reinforcing social and environmental bonds. The architecture is shaped by reuse, with reclaimed bricks and tiles forming facades that reflect the availability, history and character of the materials.