6 Star Green Star Rating for SBRC at UOW

The Brick Pit was specified by Cox Architecture and supplied all recycled brick, internally and externally, for the project. The Brick Pit’s recycled clay brick commons utilised in 100% of the external walls in either cavity brick or reverse brick veneer applications were the choice to fulfill the demands of the Living Building Challenge (LBC). 

Four generations of brick randomly layered by City Bricklaying replicated natural processes, ultimately creating beautiful, uniquely textured walls. Internally exposed face brick provides the thermal mass critical for the building to be naturally ventilated much of the year and meet the net zero energy target. Reused brickwork has extremely low embodied carbon compared to the level of thermal storage it provides.

The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC), located at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus will deliver evidence based research in sustainable building design, focused on retrofittable technologies for Australia’s existing building stock. This flagship sustainability project speaks loudly to the importance of upcycling lime-mortar bricks for reuse wherever possible instead of crushing them as demolition waste.

• Architect: Cox Richardson Architects & Planners
• Builder: Lend Lease
• Manufacturer: The Brick Pit
• Products Used: Recycled Brick
• Photography Credits: Richard Glover Photography