The international shortlist for BRICK AWARD 2026 has been revealed, featuring 50 of the world's most innovative brick buildings from 21 countries. These exceptional projects were carefully selected from 849 submissions, representing groundbreaking originality and excellence in contemporary brick architecture. The biennial competition, sponsored by Wienerberger but judged independently, demonstrates the remarkable versatility of brick as a timeless building material.
The prestigious awards ceremony will take place in Vienna on June 11, 2026, where winners will be announced by an international jury of distinguished architects and designers. The expert panel includes Gabriela Carrillo, Christine Conix, Jens Linnet, Traudy Pelzel, and Eduardo Mediero. The diverse shortlist spans five categories, ranging from small residential projects to large commercial buildings, showcasing how brick continues to bridge culture, craftsmanship, and contemporary design.
Among the standout projects is the sculptural UCCA Clay Museum in Yixing, China, designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, and the striking glass-brick Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Australia by KTA. Other notable entries include Brazil's White Bricks House by Bloco Arquitetos and the expressive Shafagh Tomb in Iran by 35-51 Architecture Office. These projects demonstrate how architects worldwide are reimagining the potential of brick construction.
Launched in 2004, the BRICK AWARD has evolved into a leading international competition that celebrates architectural innovation and the creative possibilities of brick construction. Presented every two years, the award highlights projects that successfully combine traditional craftsmanship, sustainability principles, and design excellence. The competition is organized by Wienerberger, a global leader in innovative ecological building solutions, but maintains its integrity through independent judging based purely on merit.
Wienerberger operates as an international provider of innovative ecological solutions for building envelopes, specializing in new construction, renovation, and infrastructure for water and energy management. With more than 20,000 employees worldwide and over 200 production facilities, the company holds the distinction of being the world's largest brick producer and Europe's market leader in clay roof tiles. Through the BRICK AWARD, Wienerberger demonstrates its commitment to supporting architecture that is both forward-thinking and deeply rooted in traditional building materials.
The competition's shortlist is organized into five distinct categories that represent different aspects of architectural practice. "Feeling at Home" focuses on residential houses, while "Living Together" emphasizes urban housing solutions. "Working Together" highlights commercial and industrial projects, "Sharing Public Spaces" celebrates civic and cultural architecture, and "Building Outside the Box" recognizes experimental and innovative works. Together, these categories create a comprehensive overview of contemporary architectural approaches, from intimate private dwellings to monumental public landmarks.
The selected projects span five continents, showcasing remarkable diversity in approach and execution. In South America, Brazil's White Bricks House demonstrates artisanal building methods, featuring exposed solid bricks painted white with varying spacing that creates different levels of openness and privacy for each room. The careful study of brickwork produced unique patterns and finishes, giving the project a timeless, handcrafted character.
Asian entries include several exceptional projects that highlight regional innovation. The Aga Khan Academy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, comprises a series of four-story brick-clad buildings nestled within a highly developed urban site bordered by a major highway. Arranged around green outdoor spaces, the project provides relief from dense urban surroundings while creating external areas for both recreation and education.
In China, the UCCA Clay Museum in Yixing stands out for its distinctive roof defined by a series of peaks that reference the nearby Shushan mountain. Described by Kengo Kuma and Associates as an inverted shell structure carved by virtual spheres, the framework is covered with 3,600 handmade ceramic tiles glazed in dark and light brown tones, evoking the color changes that occur in pottery during the firing process. Further north near Beijing, the Tianjin Zhongshuge bookstore features a three-story design with waves of custom-designed bricks and ironwork, creating a unique and immersive space for visitors.
India's contribution includes the Metallic Bellows factory office in Chennai by KSM Architecture, a single-story brick structure inspired by local brick kilns and the region's clay-rich soil. The design focuses on reducing CO2 emissions by minimizing concrete use and features a traditional jack arch system with downstand and peripheral beams, giving the locally sourced brickwork a light, floating appearance with distinct artisanal character.
Middle Eastern entries feature the remarkable Shafagh Tomb in the small city of Ardakan in central Iran. This project showcases an inverted dome with inscriptions flowing freely across its surface, transforming the architecture into a canvas that celebrates freedom of expression. Acting as a gateway to the cemetery, the Shafagh Tomb redefines traditionally private spaces as monuments for all, creating places where the sacred meets the everyday.
European projects demonstrate sophisticated approaches to urban integration and sustainability. Dutch architecture practice Studio RAP designed a wave-like facade completely clad with 3D-printed ceramic tiles for a building fronting Amsterdam's historic Hooftstraat shopping street. In Germany, architects worked on a much larger scale, using fired clay in the form of glazed panels with fine, irregular vertical structures for the facade of plant buildings at Leipzig Cogeneration Plant.
Slovenia's entry focuses on sustainability through the transformation of a former industrial hall in Ljubljana into a temporary theater using recycled and reusable materials, with visible clay blocks painted silver. The United Kingdom's Park Hill project in Sheffield by Michail Riches Architects also emphasized reuse, featuring a Brutalist housing estate with board-marked concrete infilled with fine-grain domestic brickwork. The reinvigorated bricks denote each "street in the sky," and balcony colors were chosen to complement the brickwork tones.
Australia's Melbourne Holocaust Museum represents a powerful example of meaningful architecture, incorporating an estimated 25,000 bricks into its facade. The design combines clay bricks in Ceniza with Poesia glass bricks, arranged in a refined hit-and-miss pattern that carefully balances transparency and security. This arrangement serves as a powerful expression of remembrance and resilience while establishing visual and physical connections to activities, daylight, and the surrounding community.
North American entries include Mexico's Aatequila facility, which houses warehousing and offices for Clase Azul La Hacienda Jalisco. This project used local ceramics and stone from site excavation to anchor the buildings in their volcanic topography, demonstrating how contemporary architecture can respond to unique geographical contexts while maintaining functional requirements.
The 2026 BRICK AWARD shortlist ultimately celebrates how brick construction continues to evolve and adapt to contemporary needs while honoring traditional craftsmanship. These 50 selected projects prove that brick remains a vital and versatile material capable of expressing diverse cultural values, responding to environmental challenges, and creating meaningful spaces for communities worldwide. The winning projects and all shortlisted works will be featured in the official BRICK book and honored at the Vienna ceremony, ensuring their innovative approaches reach architects and designers globally.
