A Wall Made of Bricks

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Equal parts time machine\nand work of art, A Wall Made of Bricks in Brooklyn\u2019s Bushwick neighborhood is\ncomposed of building materials found at the site dating from 16,000 years ago\nto today. The team reused 11,000 salvaged bricks from the demolition of an existing\nwarehouse to create this 200-foot-long street wall in collaboration with a\ngroup of master masons. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The wall is an essential\nelement of the more extensive botanical garden and venue space the team\ndesigned. It serves as a perimeter retaining wall that shields the garden from\ntwo highly trafficked streets and retains nine feet of soil on the other side.\nLocal artists, vandals, and renegades informed the design as the team sought to\ncreate not just a blank canvas for street artists but a highly specific\narchitectural work. "]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[],0,"\u0022This project is a rich\nexploration of re-use, determination, and narrative\u2014resulting in a powerful\ntapestry that celebrates patina, layered history, and continuity\u0022 - Jury comment"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Material re-use and\ncraftsmanship are the crucial components of the project, starting with the\nearliest building materials, stones tumbled and smoothed by a retreating\nglacier, being brought to the site during the last ice age. Masonry from the\nsite\u2019s warehouses and cold storage facilities was gathered, scraped by hand\non-site, and carefully cataloged. A poured concrete wall served as a blank\ncanvas for an original composition that showcases the site\u2019s material history\nin an impressionistic manner. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The team conducted thorough\nresearch on the provenance and application of the bricks, from the molded\nmakers\u2019 names to the layers of pastel graffiti that marked the faces of more\nrecent street-facing assemblies. The bricks were arranged into seven types of\nbond patterns and placed on the concrete wall as a masonry veneer, creating a\nfa\u00e7ade that melds history and architecture. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Even after construction,\nthe wall continues to evolve. Rainwater washes through the cracks in former\nfoundation stones, stripping them of iron oxide. Calcium from mortar leached\nthrough the joints creates a new growth of puffy white efflorescence, while\nportions of the wall that face north are just deep enough to allow traces of\nmoss growth. The team left its own mark, too, casting the firm\u0027s name in\nconcrete bricks found throughout the composition. "]]]]}