Wednesday, August 27, 2008

'Brick as Image' Submission 2: Cissy

NOTE: on the 12th of September this post was edited :) For the better
In this apartment block, the bricks again fulfil a structural role as load-bearing walls, so as to support the roof structure. Dark purple bricks of a standard 110x76x230 have been used structurally, according to a stretcher bond with rake joints. Meanwhile brown plinth external return bricks are used decoratively, where such ornamentation became popular during the Art Deco period.

The bricks have a smooth texture, and are generally of good condition. Alternatively, as the mortar thickness varies between bricks, the skill of the bricklayer was probably not ideal.

This building uses bricks in structural, load-bearing purposes where the immense age of the building is evident through how brick edges are heavily chipped and the sand stock brick in the top right photo has many black dots. That is a sign of the reaction between different components in clay.

The bottom photo features bricks of a sandy colour, which are arranged according to an English bond. Mortar joints are flush to the edge of the brick.

The middle photo is of the outside brick fence and thus features a soldier course, over bricks arranged in a colonial bond. As the joint is flush in arbitrary areas, that was probably the original form of the brickwork although much of it has worn away with time and so now appears to be more like a rake joint.

Bricks used are of a standard 110x76x230 with smooth textures.

1 comment:

Christian said...

Hi Cissy,

These are not bricks but paving. You can see the proportions are 2 to 1 not a standard brick size. The cuts in them are to make them less slippery.