Recycled bricks: The secret to architectural beauty and a lower carbon footprint

Building sustainably is no longer an option. Today, the built environment contributes nearly 40 per cent to global carbon emissions, while embodied carbon now accounts for 28 per cent – and if left unchecked, is projected to surpass operational emissions by 2050.

With 80 per cent of environmental impact decided in the design phase, our choice of materials needs to be carefully considered.

The beauty of recycled bricks

An often overlooked and underestimated sustainable building material is recycled bricks.

“Every recycled brick has a history and unique character,” shares The Brick Pit’s Ohad Fleiderman. “A secondhand brick, compared to one that imitates the look of a recycled brick, is much more authentic and beautiful. Using reclaimed bricks can cost less, and it’s so much better for the environment in terms of lowering embodied carbon and associated carbon emissions.”

Each day, The Brick Pit recovers thousands of bricks from demolition sites across Sydney and beyond, carefully cleaning and sorting every piece by colour and condition. It’s a process that would often be unachievable for professionals working on individual projects, but The Brick Pit takes care of the hard work – delivering ready-to-use, curated bricks directly to site.

Where choosing sustainably often comes with a premium, recycled bricks are a rare exception: they’re more affordable, better for the environment, and provide an aesthetic that can’t be truly replicated.

“Bricks don’t need to be bought new. Why not reuse what’s already available?” says Clinton Cole, Managing Director of CplusC Architects + Builders. “The future building blocks of our built environment are already here, and they’re ready for another few centuries of life. Plus, fancy new bricks can be about 100 per cent more expensive.”

Plus, fancy new bricks can be about 100 per cent more expensive.

The work of CplusC Architects + Builders, ZZ Top House features recycled dry-pressed bricks from The Brick Pit.

Before being used in ZZ Top House, the brick blend was carefully selected.

Introducing Feature Blends by The Brick Pit

The Brick Pit’s Feature Blends are hand-curated groupings of recycled bricks, carefully selected to deliver the right balance of tones and textures for specific projects. Rather than leaving the final look to chance, the team collaborates with architects and clients to create custom formulas, ensuring the right balance.

“Most customers don’t want just one colour – they want a blend that looks random, but it’s not random. They choose the percentage of each colour, and we make sure every layer of every pallet matches that formula. Even for a 20,000-brick project, every pallet is consistent,” says Ohad.

“This way, the bricklayer just picks from the pallet and the wall looks beautifully random, but it’s exactly what the customer asked for. We don’t include colours they don’t want, or too much of one tone. It’s a system that gives customers confidence – they know exactly what they’re getting.”

Combo Bricks can also provide huge cost savings: if there is no colour preference, or the bricks will be used in a part of the build where they won’t be seen, more cost-effective bricks can be specified.

The Rose House by Brcar Morony Architecture uses recycled bricks throughout, many of which were salvaged from the existing structure.

The bricks were gathered and prepared by The Brick Pit before construction.

Proven durability and performance

Beyond sustainability and design versatility, recycled bricks offer proven performance. Many have been used for decades – sometimes even centuries – in Australia's harshest conditions.

“Some of the dry-pressed bricks we use might have been on the edge of a cliff facing the Pacific, with wind and moisture. They’re 100 years old and they still look new. They’ve stood the test of time and are much stronger than today’s bricks made with holes inside,” says Ohad.

The original site of The Brick Pit in 1975, Eden Gardens is now home to these extraordinarily beautiful recycled brick structures that add beauty and form to this spectacular garden and outdoor living centre.

The Feature Blend used for Eden Gardens.

A first choice for sustainable design

Specifying recycled bricks certainly isn’t a compromise or an option to be seen as costly and complicated. With The Brick Pit’s carefully curated Feature Blends, architects can achieve unique designs with confidence, knowing that each brick contributes to reducing embodied carbon and supporting the circular economy.

Designing with circularity in mind has become a responsibility for architects across Australia, and recycled bricks prove that sustainability, performance and architectural beauty can coexist – that building responsibly doesn’t need to be met with limitations.

The Brick Pit is providing the materials to make a difference. Explore Feature Blends and more recycled brick options for your next project.