Modern architecture has flooded the city and many apartments in Chennai are coming up with large modern aspects like glass walls. However, on the other hand, the city has not compromised on the use of traditional brick construction which is more in trend in recent times.
The type of designs and structures that can be constructed with brick and mortar is constrained only by one’s creativity. Be it a vaulted roof, an exposed brick wall or having the entire structure made of exposed bricks – the final evolution of the brick building is nothing short of spectacular. Imagine the roof having filler slabs and terracotta plates, and the walls framed as a jaali with the clever placement of bricks – the ideas of how creatively something basic like bricks can be used to decorate a home is completely relative to the taste of the patron.
In short, a complete structure can be made of bricks. It could be in the walls in exposed form effusing an earthy flavour in interiors and exteriors, as clay tiled floors, as a brick dome, a clay tiled vaulted roof, as terracotta murals infusing art, or as exotic vents for air and copious sunshine. Spectacular brick jaalis have been created by a clever placement of individual bricks. Given their load bearing qualities, bricks can also be used for erecting columns and beams sans steel. However, this is dependent on the level of load to be borne.
Interestingly, besides their stunning aesthetics, bricks also pack in qualities of insulation where the ambient temperature during the day is much cooler while the night temperature is comfortingly warm. Clay brick walls also score the maximum ratings when it comes to fire resistance.
Besides being easy to reuse in renovation, bricks also offer easy maintenance, without concerns of peeling, warping, denting, rotting or fading. In fact, bricks tend to get prettier as they age. While the earthy flavour of bricks is widely appreciated, their presence unfortunately of raw beauty is limited in modern structures. For Instance, Concrete blocks, steel and exposed concrete have replaced this earthy material. Although, concrete and steel are certainly required for heavier loads in a structure, common sense is in using these even in a design that may not require multiple levels or heavy load bearing. These bricks vary depending on their firing as well as the nature of clay used. Moreover, bricks come in different shades, and using them effectively based on their varying textures can actually make the structure stand out as pure art.
