Is hit-and-miss brickwork right for your design?
If you’re a UK-based architect, ‘doing more with less’ might feel less like a trend and more like a prerequisite in today’s market. Economic policies and the shadow of COVID-19’s financial fallout continue to impact budgets, particularly for residential projects. Converging with this is the urgent issue of climate change and the construction industry’s commitment to net zero, including more sustainable homes.
Combined, these factors increase pressure to find efficiencies in the design process, both in terms of materials and function. What remains unchanged is architects’ ambition to push the boundaries of structures. This is where simple, but evocative techniques like hit-and-miss brickwork come in—making creative use of the scalable and sustainable staple clay brick. In this article, we’ll share more about hit-and-miss brickwork, alternative approaches, technical considerations, and case studies.
What is hit-and-miss brickwork?
Hit-and-miss brickwork is a design choice and bricklaying technique that leaves a gap between two bricks on the same plane, where the mortar would usually join them together. When you repeat this technique across a wall, it creates a loose lattice effect which allows light and natural air to flow through.
Similar approaches to hit-and-miss brickwork include:
- Protruding or projecting brickwork, where certain bricks are pulled slightly further out than others to create texture or shapes.
- Recessed brickwork, where certain bricks are pushed slightly further in than others to create texture or shapes.
Why would you use hit-and-miss brickwork?
There are four main benefits to incorporating hit-and-miss brickwork into your structure’s design:
- Aesthetic: One of the first factors that draws people to hit-and-miss brickwork is the unique look it adds to an overall façade. It sparks curiosity because most people’s perceptions of brick are uniform, impermeable walls. Hit-and-miss brickwork can confer the appearance of fine texture at a distance, and conjure patterns of sunlight within the building itself. Your budget also benefits from economies of scale by using more of the same material for your structure.
- Light and airflow: If there are spaces in your structure that need a degree of privacy but also light and airflow, they could benefit from hit-and-miss brickwork. External-facing offices or community spaces might have glass frontage to create light, open spaces. Hit-and-miss brickwork can then filter strong sunlight and limit the public’s view of the interior without losing the overall impression. Spaces like premium car parks need ample ventilation, but also discretion, making them another good candidate for the technique.
- Durability: Hit-and-miss brickwork acts like a ‘brick net curtain’, letting light and air flow through. But, the wall still benefits from the durability and low maintenance properties of clay brick. It is important to note that you should always check with the manufacturer to ensure that a product is suitable for hit-and-miss brickwork.
- Zero operational carbon: Clay brick’s resilience to factors such as weather and pollution also offers benefits for your building’s sustainability profile. No maintenance means zero operational carbon—the carbon emitted during the life of the building and maintenance of its materials. When you take into account clay brick’s typical lifecycle of 150 years (which is often much longer), its overall carbon impact is minimal.
Technical considerations for hit-and-miss brickwork
Though hit-and-miss brickwork still benefits from the compressive strength and durability of clay brick, there are factors to consider when designing or specifying. The Brick Development Association’s (BDA) design note on hit-and-miss brickwork includes the following guidance:
- Loadbearing capacity: Though we need more structural analysis of hit-and-miss brickwork, the BDA suggests that it’s likely to have a reduced loadbearing capacity. This will depend on factors such as the type of brick, wall thickness, unit size, masonry bond strength, and distance between bricks. But, you can also consider adaptations that help distribute load such as brick pillars or beams between hit-and-miss sections.
- Water resistance: For hit-and-miss brickwork, you’ll want to avoid perforated bricks (which feature large holes) or frogged bricks (which feature deep recesses). The aesthetic of your design is one reason for this, but the other is water resistance. If the holes or recesses are exposed to the elements, they’re likely to accumulate rainwater which can lead to brick degradation.
- Climbing: Avoid using hit-and-miss brickwork in locations where a member of the general public could use the gaps between bricks to climb the structure. This could cause a safety issue, as well as insurance risks related to public liability, criminal damage, and theft.
When incorporating hit-and-miss brickwork in your designs, consult with your structural engineer and the brick manufacturer first. Their expertise can help mitigate (or even eliminate) any risks early in the project.
Evoking awe with less
Hit-and-miss brickwork has the potential to add intrigue and function to structures of any size and purpose. It forms striking elements of the most recent Arts University Bournemouth Student Accommodation, highly commended in the 2023 Civic Trust Awards. It’s also a central feature of the Eylenbosch Brewery in Flanders, Belgium. OSK-AR architects used our Floren.be Avorio bricks alongside salvaged bricks from the original buildings to restore the unused site for residential, commercial, and service units.
At Michelmersh we are always happy to hear from architects who want to innovate with clay brick and discuss your project’s technical requirements. If you’d like to explore which products could help you realise your design ambitions, contact our expert team today.
