The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has recognized a Chicago project as “best in class” for K-12 educational projects in its 2021 Brick in Architecture Awards.
Judges selected the Thomas J. Waters Elementary School North Annex designed by Bailey Edward Design. The project’s mason contractor was MPZ Masonry, with The Belden Brick Company bricks distributed by Brickworks Supply LLC.
The school was one 49 projects out of 138 entries—almost double the amount over the past three years—with eight Best in Class winners featured in this video. The Best in Class, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners include projects in the United States, Australia, Canada and Mexico.
“This new elementary school annex in Chicago’s historic Ravenswood Gardens neighborhood features red brick that matches the original building but with a contemporary look,” says the award citation
“These awards demonstrate clay brick’s infinite design versatility derived from a myriad of available colors that never fade, textures, and installation options. Brick’s natural beauty along with its unmatched durability, fire, and wind-blown debris protection, energy efficiency, and low or no maintenance are some of the qualities that make clay brick the best wall cladding available,” Ray Leonhard, BIA’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
