Tag Archives: bricks

This collection of hexagonal bricks inspired by beehives is shaped for infinite expandability

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Hives is a collection of hexagonal, terracotta bricks that can be laid together to form endless configurations for interior furnishings and architectural structures.

Mutina is a collaborative ceramics company devoted to bringing top designers to the world of ceramics to bring their visions to life. Inspired by the endless range of textures and colors accessible to ceramicists, Mutina’s catalog of terracotta ceramics is constantly pushing the envelope for exciting and innovative new designs.

Designer: Mutina x Konstantin Grcic

Recently, the Italian brand commissioned Konstantin Grcic to develop a new line of terracotta bricks that challenges the fixed nature of brick-building. Inspired by the complex structure of beehives, Grcic’s line of terracotta bricks, aptly called Hives, can create seemingly endless configurations.

Described as a hexagonal brick, each brick that comprises the Hives collection could also be described as two hexagonal bricks merged together, giving the brick its three-dimensional appeal. Through this dynamic shaping, Grcic managed to design a brick that could build geometric partitions just as well as cylindrical columns.

If laid vertically, the bricks form a semi-open structure with open cavities formed by the bricks’ harsh angles. When laid flat, the bricks can either be placed in a staggered or flush formation, producing more lively, undulating facades for structures like columns and table counters.

Available in the size 13×22, 5x7cm, the Hives brick is fully functional and versatile to build walls, architectural structures, and interior furnishings. Realized in terracotta, each Hives brick maintains impressive thermal and acoustics capacities, as well as durable tactile properties that are warmed by the brick’s soothing, orange glow. Produced using an artisanal technique called extrusion, each Hives brick is unique and organic in structure.

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Creative brick design with a built-in planter turns the outer facade of this house into a vertical garden!

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Created by architecture and interior design firm OA-Lab, the ‘Alley House’ is a small multi-family housing project with a brick facade, located in Seoul, South Korea. The house sits on a developed, relatively crowded street with buildings on either side… but the lack of proper space for a garden prompted OA-Lab to devise a clever workaround – turn the house into a garden itself! The Alley House comes with a beautifully earthy exposed brick outer facade, and the lower floor uses a stretcher bond bricklaying pattern with a few unusually designed bricks that also function as planters! These wavy bricks protrude out from the wall, providing a series of ‘shelves’ or basins to grow plants in. The hollow space within the bricks is enough to lay in some soil and add a few seeds, and given that the bricks are made from concrete, they’re perfect for containing the plants in too!

Designer: OA-Lab

The bricks are located more densely on the ground level, so they can easily be watered manually every few days while also creating a vertical garden that runs along the perimeter of the building. The individual bricks are perfectly sized for smaller plants, offering the possibility of a tiny flower or herb garden, and when fully cultivated, add a beautiful touch of greenery to the white and red color scheme of the building’s exterior!

Photography by Kyungsub Shin

The post Creative brick design with a built-in planter turns the outer facade of this house into a vertical garden! first appeared on Yanko Design.

LEGO just dropped a Spotify album… and it’s filled with hours of soothing ASMR soundtracks made using LEGO bricks

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Contrary to popular belief, the album isn’t filled with “Everything Is Awesome” on loop.

Titled LEGO® White Noise, the album explores a unique aspect of the LEGO experience – their sound. While the bricks are incredibly visual, tactile, and versatile, they also have a uniquely vast and engaging auditory experience. By experimenting with over 10,000 brick combinations, the designers at LEGO have unveiled a 6-track album, featuring 30-minute long audio tracks of just sounds using LEGO bricks, from the familiar rattle of rummaging through a carton of bricks, to actually clipping bricks together to make sculptures/models. The tracks have an incredible ASMR quality to them, and honestly make for perfect background audio while you work, play, code, read, etc. I can’t understate exactly how therapeutic the sound of the LEGO bricks being clinked together are, but just mere minutes into the first track, I feel like a 10-year old child again.

The album was designed to help listeners relax and unwind. The sounds trigger a part of the brain associated with meditation and relaxation, given that our mind associates LEGO with those very attributes too. Just the way the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin get you feeling ‘autumny’, the LEGO White Noise tracks instantly transport you to a place of being happy and carefree. Once again, the folks at LEGO have shown us that their bricks truly have unlimited potential!

You can check out the Spotify Album by clicking here. Definitely give a listen to the track titled “The Waterfall”, for the absolutely exhilarating sound of LEGO bricks being dumped one on top of another!

Van Gogh’s iconic Starry Night will soon be immortalized with its own LEGO set!

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I’d venture a guess that owning a LEGO Starry Night would be just as cool as owning the original, but who am I to judge the value of post-impressionist art, I’m just another millennial!

LEGO just approved of turning the Starry Night into a production-ready set. The idea for the product came from LEGO Ideas, a playground where LEGO enthusiasts upload their creations, and LEGO fans vote on designs that they want to see willed into existence. The Starry Night rendition comes from Truman Cheng, a Master Builder who goes by the username legotruman. Cheng’s rendition of the post-impressionist masterpiece uses a total of 1,552 pieces, and gathered a stunning 10 thousand votes on the LEGO Ideas platform! It features a 3 dimensional representation of Van Gogh’s famed painting, along with a miniature figurine of the artist along with his easel, brush, palette, and canvas. The 3D LEGO pieces actually work wonderfully with Van Gogh’s style, as each individual brick looks like a distinct brush-stroke, giving the artpiece its signature Impressionist appeal.

As of now LEGO has approved of Truman’s design for production, but there isn’t any word on when it’ll release, or what the price will be.

Designer: Truman Cheng for LEGO Ideas

This hole-some house design reduces indoor pollution and breathes using upcycled punctured bricks!

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Getting creative with traditional material is the key to making architectural structures truly stand out. This Wall House designed by CTA Creative Architects shows that creativity by using hole-punctured bricks. It was specifically chosen to facilitate natural ventilation, bring in sunlight, and letting the house itself breathe.

This “wholesome” structure is a multi-generational family home in the city of Bien Hoa, Vietnam and the only thing they wanted was the living spaces to feel bright and airy. “According to recently published scientific research, indoor air quality is worse than outdoor air quality. Therefore, most of our discussions with the house owner tended to the idea of a house that is able to ‘breathe’ 24/7 by itself,” said the team. Most of the structure’s exterior is covered in perforated square bricks that allow fresh air and natural light to flood in. It also promotes upcycling in design – all of the bricks were salvaged from the building sites of properties nearby and were then punctuated to make four small holes in each of them. Material reusability is as important as creativity.

The team also managed to save burnt and blackened bricks and used them artistically to form dark patches of color which adds more texture and dimension to the exterior aesthetic. The bricks are arranged randomly to form an irregular, bumpy surface finish – unconventional like the material itself. A wide flight of tiered steps that lead up to the entrance has been printed with a holey pattern to matches the bricks, it almost looks like a permanent shadow cast on them on a sunny day. To further add to the natural breathing feeling, a small “garden” was planted around the periphery of the main room which makes the air quality better and also acts a much needed soothing contrast to the brick tones.

The house has an unobstructed and large living area which features two massive square windows that have been made in Wall House’s front elevation for maximum natural light. Another window element is the glass roof which illuminates the other corners of the house. All these details not only add to the ‘breathing’ quality of the house but also increase the expansiveness of the place. The rest of the material palette for the home was kept very simple – exposed-aggregate concrete cover the floor and dark wood was used for the kitchen cabinets. A black-metal staircase with a wire-frame balustrade leads to the first level of the home and also serves as a great spot to show off your quarantine outfits – I can’t be the only one who walks down in a different set of PJs for every meal right?

Designer: CTA Creative Architects

Recycled sand and plastic waste are used to make this sustainable brick!

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Did you know that the construction industry actually contributes more to global warming than the aviation industry Construction is responsible for 39% of the world’s CO2 emissions while aviation is responsible for 2% and that means we need a sustainable building material before we need electric airplanes. Rhino Machines is an Indian company that has recently launched a sustainable alternative to the traditional brick called the silica plastic block in collaboration with architectural firm R+D Studio.

We’ve seen mushrooms turn into bricks and now we are seeing this brick made of 80% recycled sand waste/foundry dust and 20% mixed plastic waste. The SPB (silicone plastic block) was created to curb the gigantic dust waste from construction that contributes to India’s pollution levels that are already hazardous in major cities. The project started with a goal of producing zero waste from the sand reclamation plant in the Rhino Machines foundry plant. There were many experiments before landing on this ratio, initially foundry dust was used in cement-bonded fly ash bricks (7-10% waste recycled) and clay bricks (15% waste recycled). This production process was reliant on natural supplies such as cement, fertile soil, and water which wouldn’t justify the team’s criteria of creating something that was more environmentally friendly. After multiple trials and research, the solution of bonding sand/foundry dust with plastic was born. Since it is made out of waste, the cost of production is relatively low and Rhino Machines is working on an ecosystem solution so that the foundries across the country can develop and distribute the SPBs within their zones.

The team used mixed plastic waste as a bonding agent which reduced the need for water during mixing and thereafter curing is completely eliminated. These sustainable bricks would be directly used after cooling down from the molding process. Over four months the team approached hospitals, societies, individuals, social organizations, and the local municipal corporations to provide clean plastic. A total of six tonnes of plastic waste and sixteen tonnes of dust + sand from the foundry industry were collected, ready to be recycled. The SPB bricks were 2.5 times stronger than the regular red clay bricks and used 80% lesser natural resources too – now you can build a stronger home that also lets your home planet be strong. Better to use that plastic in bricks than to put it in the sea!

Designers: Rhino Machines and R+D Studio

Build a Marble Run with Tiny Bricks and Mortar

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Marble runs can be a whole lot of fun to build and watch in action. But most of the ones I’ve seen are made from wood or maybe plastic. If you’re looking for something a little more substantial, check out this marble run kit that includes towers made from bricks.

There’s no way the Big Bad Wolf is blowing down the Teifoc Run n’ Roll Marble Run. This unique play set includes about 200 tiny terracotta clay bricks, along with mortar and a trowel. Yes, you build it yourself. The cool thing is that the mortar is made from a soluble corn-based glue, so you can actually disassemble and rebuild new structures if you soak them in water for a couple of hours.

If you buy a few kits, you could probably build some pretty epic constructions, but with a price tag just under $100, that could get expensive very quickly. The brick and mortar marble run is available from Amazon. They sell mortar refills as well. I’d like to see someone scale up this idea using real bricks, PVC, and maybe some bowling balls.

Meet the massive interactive mirror that makes spellbinding pixelated patterns

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If you’ve watched the Harry Potter movies, you’ll remember an iconic scene from the first movie when Hagrid stands in front of a barren wall, carefully tapping a certain set of bricks with the tip of his umbrella. The wall came to life as the bricks began rotating and disappearing into each other. Soon, there was no wall, and the famous Diagon Alley stood before Harry Potter and Hagrid. The Brixels offer a similar experience. Multiple individual bricks that rotate on their axes, the Brixels come with a mirror finish on one side, and a matte black finish on the other. Controlled by a proprietary software, the Brixels can independently move to create engaging facades, installations, and even architecture pieces.

The Brixel wall shows off the potential of the Brixels, creating patterns that play with light and shadow, as well as with depth, either moving in synchronicity, or mirroring a subject who moves in front of the interactive panel, or even creating imagery or text (ideal for large public spaces and offices). A Linux controller computer sits at the heart of each installation, running a variety of apps that process the visual data and pass it along to the Brixels. The data is sent via RS485 to the controller PCBs that sit at the bottom of each column. Each controller PCB then sends the data over a serial line up the column to each individual Brixel. The architecture allows an endless amount of rows and columns of Brixels, or even Brixel installations of different shapes like the Brixel Globe, shown below. A perfect artpiece for Burning Man, I’d say!

Designer: Breakfast New York

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