Set in green acres of Dungannon’s rural Railway Park is The Junction Dungannon, an acclaimed Northern Irish Community Peace Building.
The new build is a facility hosting a number of key community services, all housed within the modernist ‘three dimensional sculpture’ design.
Architects, Hall Black Douglas, envisaged a structure that would give the impression of open access from every angle, and as part of this, a key consideration was the choice of brick to achieve this.
Wienerberger’s Staffordshire Smooth Blue and Bronsgroen bricks were selected for the project and used predominantly throughout the build. Visually, the striking Staffordshire Smooth Blue was selected to contrast with the muted textured brown of the softmud Bronsgroen; the juxtaposition of the two creating a vibrant centrepiece in the green parkland.
On the ground floor of The Junction Dungannon, window glazing is punctuated using Staffordshire Smooth Blue brick panels. Vertically arranged with randomly stepped coursing, the structure imitates the form of the parkland trees that populate the landscape, infusing an element of nature into the construction.
The upper floors, which extend out to provide shading and shelter to the open ground, are clad with soft-coloured Bronsgroen, using large punched openings to expose natural light, ventilation and views to the spaces within.
The effect of this arrangement is a floating canopy above the ground floor plinth, which forms the focal point of the building.
Prior to the laying of the brick, a number of considerations were taken into account to ensure that the build was completed to the highest standard. Sample panels were constructed on site to show a variety of mortar joints and laying patterns. From this exercise, the half lap stretcher bond with a bushed sand cement mortar joint was selected for the Bronsgroen brick.
Bricklayers also discovered that due to the brick’s unique variety of shape, colour and orientation in laying, there was little requirement for brick detailing. This was an added bonus, allowing resources to be conserved by eliminating brick wastage on site.
The project has achieved recognition from The Brick Development Association (BDA) 2016, receiving Judges Commendations. In response to this, Lee Pauls, Category Product Manager at Wienerberger – Wall, commented: “We’re very proud that our bricks have been used on this award-winning community project.
"The striking combination of the bricks gives the building gravitas, creating quite a statement that has won the praises of the BDA. This recognition is also a testament to both Hall Black Douglas, who carefully selected the construction materials, and the site team whose efficient planning pre-build ensured that the bricks were laid in the most suitable and effective way.”