Hit-and-miss brickwork makes "creative use of sustainable clay brick"

Promotion: hit-and-miss brickwork sparks curiosity and is a sustainable choice that can also help architects push boundaries, according to clay product specialist Michelmersh Brick Holdings.

Hit-and-miss brickwork is a bricklaying technique that results in gaps between two bricks on the same plane, where the mortar would usually join them together.

Similar techniques also include recessed brickwork, where some bricks are pushed further into the wall than others to create shapes or textures, and projecting brickwork, where some bricks are pulled further out.

Michelmersh Brick Holdings explained that hit-and-miss brickwork can be a sustainable and creative option for architects when designing buildings.

According to the company, architects are under pressure to design cost-efficient and sustainable buildings with increasingly strict budgets.

It suggested that architects could include hit-and-miss brickwork in their projects to combat these pressures and added that other advantages of the technique include enhanced privacy, increased airflow and visually interesting aesthetics.

"What remains unchanged is architects' ambition to push the boundaries of structures," said Michelmersh Brick Holdings. "This is where simple, but evocative techniques like hit-and-miss brickwork come in – making creative use of the scalable and sustainable clay brick."

The company said its clay bricks are ideal for the technique as they are low maintenance and durable, and have a loose lattice effect, allowing air and light to flow through.

"They are particularly effective when used on external-facing offices or community spaces, which have a glass frontage," Michelmersh Brick Holdings said.

Here, hit-and-miss brickwork can filter overbearing sunlight and limit the public's view of the interior for privacy "without losing the overall impression", it explained. Other spaces that it believes would benefit from its use include car parks, which need ample ventilation, but also privacy.

Another advantage of the technique is that it can bring out sunlight patterns within a building, making it an effective aesthetic choice, according to Michelmersh Brick Holdings.

"One of the first factors that draw people to hit-and-miss brickwork is the unique look it adds to an overall facade," said Michelmersh Brick Holdings. "It sparks curiosity because most people's perceptions of brick are uniform, impermeable walls."

Michelmersh Brick Holdings said its clay bricks are more resilient to external factors – such as weather and pollution – and can enhance a building's sustainability profile, due to the clay's extended lifecycle.

"No maintenance means zero operational carbon – the carbon emitted during the life of the building and maintenance of its materials," said the company. "When you take into account clay brick’s typical lifecycle of 150 years (which is often much longer), its overall carbon impact is minimal."

Recent examples of the technique's use in projects include the Arts University Bournemouth Student Accommodation, which was highly commended in the 2023 Civic Trust Awards, and the Eylenbosch Brewery in Flanders, Belgium.

The technique was also used to extend a Victorian house named Corner House.

Michelmersh Brick Holdings explained that designers should look at the Brick Development Association's (BDA) guidance on hit-and-miss brickwork when trying the technique.

It also added that for the technique to work, architects should avoid perforated bricks – which have large holes – or frogged bricks, which have deep recesses.

"If the holes or recesses are exposed to the elements, they're likely to accumulate rainwater which can lead to brick degradation," said Michelmersh Brick Holdings. "Also, architects shouldn't be using the brickwork technique in locations where people could climb the structure."

To learn more about hit-and-miss brickwork, visit Michelmersh Brick Holdings' website.

Partnership content

This article was written for Michelmersh Brick Holdings by Dezeen as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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