Forterra SureBrick gets a spotlight in Birmingham

Building products manufacturer Forterra has been contributing to a major building project in Birmingham on Lancaster Street since August 2023. The manufacturer’s innovative brick slip system, SureBrick, has been used in the façade of the impressive 33 storey tall building, which is being constructed to accommodate the city’s growing student population.

The building is currently set to be one of the highest points in the Birmingham skyline using brick, with nine and twelve storey ‘shoulder’ blocks to the sides and associated external works, including an external terrace at first floor level. Approximately 540,000 bricks will be used in the project covering over 9,000sqm.

Working in tandem with Hansen Group, Forterra used it SureBrick system, made with its own Medway Blend soft mud brick, to design the façades on the tower. Made in Leicestershire the bricks are locally sourced in the UK.

A next generation brick slip system SureBrick is the result of Forterra’s commitment to modernising and improving building methods and is capable of delivering design-led projects in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

SureBrick is simple to install without the need for conventional bricklaying skills. It produces thinner walls so buildings can be better insulated, delivering higher levels of thermal performance.

Brick slips are specially manufactured brick tiles which, when installed, have all the appearance, colour, and texture of an authentic brick wall. As with this project they are typically used to create a façade wall, with a significantly lighter weight than traditional masonry. Utilising an aluminium modular frame, supplied by Hansen, and Forterra’s magnelis coated rails to hold the brick slips means there is a more efficient build-process, enabling weather-tight buildings to be created more quickly. Using brick slips brings with it many of the benefits of standard bricks, including long-term durability, and easy low-cost maintenance.

Using this solution on the Crown Place tower combines the aesthetically appealing finish of traditional brick with a variety of sustainability benefits. These include the reduction of raw material and energy usage relative to the manufacture of traditional bricks, offering all the benefits of a modern brick slip system but without architectural compromise.

The project is set to conclude in 2025.

Martin Smithhurst, Technical Services Manager at Forterra said: “This is an amazing project and is a testament to the innovation at Forterra. The SureBrick used at Lancaster Street Birmingham is a fusion of unitised modular off-site construction and Forterra’s clay brick slip cladding system. Working as a team with Hansen to develop the technical integration into a unitised application has been very successful. We are dedicated to delivering projects on time and to a high standard and are proud to showcase our products.”

For more information on Forterra’s SureBrick brick slip system, visit: www.forterra.co.uk/product/surebrick/