'World’s 50 most inspiring brick buildings' shortlisted for BRICK AWARD 26

The shortlist for the BRICK AWARD 26 has been unveiled, honoring "the world’s 50 most inspiring brick buildings." Hosted by wienerberger, the awards are presented every two years, having begun in 2004. Organizers describe the award as giving design teams a "platform for their unique designs and celebrating brick and ceramic building products as timeless materials for innovative and forward-looking architecture."

The award is presented in five categories: Feeling at home (single houses and small projects); Living together (urban residential developments); Working together (commercial and industrial buildings); Sharing public spaces (public buildings and spaces); and Building outside the box (innovation).

The shortlist was compiled from 849 submissions. The awards ceremony will take place on June 11, 2026, in Vienna.

In the meantime, the 50 projects on the shortlist have been set out below.

FEELING AT HOME 

• Blockmakers Arms, London, UK, by Erbar Mattes
• Ca na Birgit, Calvià, Spain, by TEd'A arquitectes
• House 1616, Barcelona, Spain, by Harquitectes
• Kurth Residence, Liege, Belgium, by Olivier Fourneau Architects
• Los Guayabos, Cuernavaca, Mexico, by Rodriguez + De Mitr

• Manel and Montse House, Sant Esteve de Palautordera, Spain, by Obo Estudi Arquitectura
• Mountain House, Cape Town, South Africa, by Chris van Niekerk
• Valley House, Torres Vedras, Portugal, by Volume - Architecture Lisbon Studio
• Verandah House, Nhavi Sandas, India, by studioPPBA
• Villa BW, Vught, Netherlands, by Mecanoo
• White Bricks House, Brasilia, Brazil, by Bloco Arquitetos

LIVING TOGETHER 

• 11 social housing units, Palma , Spain, by Carles Enrich Studio
• 64 University Place, New York, USA, by Kohn Pedersen Fox 
• Social and urban infill project, Kortrijk, Belgium, by MAKER architecten
• Fixfabriken Spanjoletten, Gothenburg, Sweden, by Olsson Lyckefors Arkitekte

• Luise 19E, Werder, Germany, by undjurekbrüggen
• O 14, Madrid, Spain, by BURR STUDIO
• Park Hill Phase 2, Sheffield, UK, by Mikhail Riches
• Social Atrium - 54 dwellings in the Besòs, Barcelona, Spain, by Peris + Toral Arquitectes & L3J

WORKING TOGETHER 

• Leipzig Cogeneration Plant, Leipzig, Germany, by Atelier ST
• Firemen tower in Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain, by Carles Enrich Studio
• Håndværkskollegiet i Horsens, Horsens, Denmark, by Cubo Arkitekter & Danø Architecture
• Lindemans Brewery, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium, by A2D architects
• Metallic Bellows Factory Office, Chennai, India, by KSM Architecture

• Mezcal Production Palenque, Jiquilpan de Juárez, Mexico, by Estudio ALA 
• Recast | Lao Ding Feng Beijing, China, by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office
• Sara Weill-Raynal nursing home, Paris, France, by Avenier Cornejo Architectes
• Substation Ijburg, Amsterdam, Netherlands, by Powerhouse Company
• Warehouse/offices for Clase Azul La Hacienda Jalisco, Tepatitlán, Mexico, by Atelier ARS

SHARING PUBLIC SPACES 

• Academia Atlas, Zapopan, Mexico, by Sordo Madaleno
• Aga Khan Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh, by Shatotto & Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
• Đạo Mẫu (Mothergoddess) Museum & Temple, Hanoi, Vietnam, by arb architects 
• District school Kirchwerder, Hamburg, Germany, by Thomas Kröger Architekten
• Het Steen Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, by noAarchitecten

• La Chênaie Public School, Saint Etienne de Montluc, France, by RAUM
• Melbourne Holocaust Museum, Melbourne, Australia, by Kerstin Thompson Architects
• Mercado Nicolas Bravo, Quintana Roo, Mexico, by Aidia Studio
• Park Brialmont Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, by CLUSTER landscape & urbanism
• Performing Arts Centre Brighton College, Brighton, UK, by krft

• Primary School Edison Antwerp, Netherlands, by Korteknie Stuhlmacher Architecten 
• Schoenenkwartier Shoe Museum, Waalwijk, Netherlands, by  Civic Architects
• Temporary space for Slovenian National Theatre, Ljubljana, Slovenia, by Vidic Grohar Arhitekti
• UCCA Clay Museum, Yixing, China, by Kengo Kuma and Associates

BUILDING OUT OF THE BOX 

• Ceramic House, Amsterdam, Netherlands, by Studio RAP
• Endless Brick Playground, Hangzhou, China, by China Academy of Art
• La Cruz 13-40, Cuenca, Spain, by Taller Alexis Schulman & Surreal Estudio
• Mary‘s Mantle Chapel, Freising, Germany, by Brückner & Brückner Architekten

• Shafagh Tomb, Ardakan, Iran, by 35-51 Architecture Office
• The Lady, Amsterdam, Netherlands, by Dok architecten
• Tianjin Zhongshuge, Tianjin, China, by X+Living Architecture and Interior Design