Featured Presentations
IG Masonry Support: Hendrick's Gin Palace
Andy Sharlot (Chief Designer) and Phillip Baird (Area Sales Manager) of IG Masonry Support (Keystone Group) revealed the stunning brickwork of the Hendrick's Gin Palace project. They detailed how bespoke, prefabricated solutions were essential in delivering the complex brick arches including soaring corbelled entrances, glasshouse doorways, and dramatic soffits that frame the distillery's copper stills. The presentation highlighted the power of offsite fabrication for achieving flawless, intricate bond patterns and seamless connections, ultimately reducing time and labour while setting a new standard for modern-meets-classical collaboration in construction.
Raeburn Brick & Bricklink
Jim Raeburn (Joint Managing Director of Raeburn Brick) celebrated Scotland's rich brickmaking history, charting its peak production in the Glasgow area to its role today. Raeburn was then followed by Douglas Baxter (Operations Manager) and Ken Tighe (Specification Sales Manager) of Bricklink to present the Pennywell Urban Regeneration project. This case study demonstrated how high-quality, locally-sourced clay brick is being used with creativity and sustainability to construct modern, connected communities and ensure a consistent, durable architectural character across the development.
Loader & Monteith Architects: Ceangal House
Iain Monteith (Founding Director of Loader & Monteith Architects) presented Ceangal House near East Kilbride. This unique family residence was created by transforming derelict steading buildings into a bold, L-shaped design that perfectly integrates light-filled spaces with the working farm landscape. The core focus was sustainability, with Iain highlighting the extensive reuse of materials, including over 4,000 reclaimed clay bricks, and explaining how the home's striking red cladding and the Scots Gaelic name, Ceangal ('to bond'), powerfully anchor the design to its agricultural heritage.
jmarchitects
The jmarchitects team, featuring Project Director Cian Plelan and architect Paul Smith, delved into three of their projects recently nominated for the 2025 Brick Awards. They explored the use of clay brick across different sectors and design challenges:
- St Andrew's Drive Phases 2 & 3: A development of 120 high-quality new homes in Pollokshields, Glasgow.
- PLATFORM_: An impressive 464-apartment residential development with communal amenity areas in Bonnington, Edinburgh.
- Wallyford Learning Campus: A modern, sustainable educational hub for 950 students in East Lothian.
