Brick buildings sometimes pose a unique challenge to architects and designers. They are too well-loved and too durable.

Labeling something as contemporary architecture is fraught with potential debate, since the term itself points to the lack of a definition for the architecture of the 21st Century more than it describes a single style. What is clear, though, is that fired clay brick remains a major presence in the 21st Century designer’s palette, and we’d love to show you some examples.

As a way of introducing ourselves, how about a little quiz to see what you know about the manufacture of brick in the Midwest?

1. How many states are considered to be part of the Heartland Region of the BIA?

   a) 15

   b) 8

   c) 4

2. How many companies manufacture fired clay brick in the Heartland Region?

   a) 7

   b) 5

   c) 2

3. How long has brick been commercially produced in the Heartland?

   a) 85 years

   b) 150 years

   c) 180 years

4. How many brick sizes are manufactured by BIA-Heartland’s member manufacturers?

   a) Fewer than 5

   b) 5 - 10

   c) More than 10

5. How many unique brick colors are manufactured by BIA-Heartland’s member manufacturers?

   a) Fewer than 10

   b) 50 - 75

   c) More than 75

6. How many unique brick textures are manufactured by BIA-Heartland’s member manufacturers?

   a) Fewer than 10

   b) 20 - 30

   c) More than 30

In our last post, we discussed how the thermal mass of brick slows the transfer of heat energy, allowing brick buildings to perform with much greater energy efficiency than the R-value of the material would predict — better even than most other exterior materials with higher R-values. But, thermal mass isn’t the end of the energy efficiency story for brick walls. Modern brick installations come with an additional trick up their sleeves — the cavity wall.

Seems like everyone understands at least a little bit about R-Value. It’s simple and straightforward. As the R-Value of a material goes up, the insulative value goes up, so a material with a high R-Value must be energy efficient and one with a low R-Value must not be, right? Not so fast!

One of the best things about clay brick is its design versatility. It can be used to make dramatic and subtle beauties alike, and delivers durability and a sense of permanence in either case. For the Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy in Chicago’s Belmont-Cragin neighborhood, designing architect SMNG-A Architects chose the latter, creating a simple structure with layers of subtle beauty that are revealed as one studies it.