Our story from the ground up NOTHING SAYS "WEST AUSTRALIAN" LIKE DOUBLE BRICK WALLS COVER: Aerial photograph of North Beach, Waterman and Wherever you West Coast Highway January 1966. Photo courtesy of Aerial Surveys Australia. live in WA you probably grew The New boys 4 up in Midland Wherever you are in WA, chances are you were born, raised, lived, educated or worked in Midland — in buildings with Midland bricks that is. A 70-year love affair with bricks 5 Since 1946, Midland Brick has been making and supplying bricks and pavers for the many thousands of homes, schools, hospitals and commercial buildings that, at some stage, most of us would have come into contact with. Builder profile 12 We are immensely proud of our heritage and contribution to this wonderful State and never take for granted the trust that Western Australia’s builders have placed in us and our products. Seventy years on from our modest beginnings we have grown into one of the world’s largest Bricks in new design 14 brickworks, employing the skills and talent of hundreds of West Australians in making the best bricks in the world. And to ensure we maintain these high standards, we invest heavily in new plant and equipment, over one hundred million dollars in the last decade. Design matters 16 To celebrate our 70th year, we have produced this commemorative liftout that will take you through our journey over that time. I hope it will entertain and remind many of us of how the West has grown. An architect’s love of bricks 18 Greg Smith General Manager Outdoor ideas and tips 25 Clay and the community 30 The New boys The brothers who built Perth Ric New With a father as a builder, brothers Ric and Ric was joined through the recently established Clay Brick Gerry New’s early exposure to the industry soon after by his Manufacturers Association. undoubtedly laid the foundations for the birth brother Gerry As managing director, Ric led the successful of Midland Brick. (pictured left), who “Knock Knock” advertising campaign to had returned from Identifying a critical shortage of building promote the benefits of building double-clay war service, and in supplies, especially bricks, following World brick homes, a building technique renowned 1947, they built the War II, Ric would fire small clay balls in his for its quality and durability and still used first square updraft rented Mt Lawley home’s oven to determine predominantly in WA today. which deposits would make the best bricks. kiln using second- hand bricks. Over the years, the company grew bigger Sensing an opportunity, Ric, who was a and bigger and by 1989, it was arguably the carpenter, builder and charcoal burner by To address the critical shortage of heavy world’s biggest brickyard on the one site, trade, borrowed £200 from his mother in machinery following the war, the New producing nearly a million bricks a day, with 1946, with which he set up a brickyard brothers adapted surplus war materials sales in excess of $100 million annually. on 2.5ha in Middle Swan — a spot which to build the plant, even modifying three Following Ric’s death in 1989, Gerry decided he had identified as having the best clay Bren gun carriers to become WA’s first to sell the business, with Midland Brick deposits in the area. commercial forklifts. becoming a division of Boral in late 1990. This This signaled the birth of Midland Brick, In 1949, more kilns were constructed but successful partnership has resulted in the which today, 70 years on, is still Western bricklayers were in short supply so Ric growth and innovation seen over the past 26 Australia’s foremost brick manufacturer. established WA’s first bricklaying school years. 4 A 70-YEAR LOVE AFFAIR WITH BRICKS From Federation and Art Deco homes to project homes and industrial-look lofts, home design has come a long way in the 70 years since Midland Brick started production. Over that time, design trends have come and gone but the one constant is the presence of bricks, used in a myriad of ways both indoors and out to reflect the trend characterising the era. Here’s an era-by-era breakdown of design trends over the past seven decades. READ ON Curtin University 5 THE WAR IS OVER Following World War II, a shortage of building materials and labour led to more austere or simpler homes, compared to the stylish Federation and Art-Deco homes built in pre-war Perth. This was the era of brick-and-fibro cottages and later, triple-fronted 1950s homes. In Perth, builders had a choice of face bricks with a smooth finish. In 1952 Midland Brick introduced Blue Tapestry, the first face brick with a coloured hue and prominent vertical stripes. This venture into colour and patterned textures reflected the time of optimism and growth. BRICKS THROUGH THE YEARS 1946 1952 1963 1969 1970 1972 1976 The very first brick is Blue Tapestry The Cream Palomino Moroccan Leather Antique Silver is one Midland Brick The Fastwall internal fired at Middle Swan becomes a firm is introduced along Barkface was an of the first bricks to introduces the first brick system – a basic Red. favourite with Perth with core holes. early clay blend in develop into a paver. purpose made paver is developed home builders. the 70s. (Perth Concert Hall). revolutionising the Twilight (bottom) building industry. becomes a favourite for unit developments. 6 Mid-century Modernism Mid-century modern was a global design movement that spanned the 50s, 60s and 70s. The style embodied clean lines, simple materials, large open rooms and flat rooftops. Home design was unpretentious and functional, environmentally friendly with cross- ventilation and featured a real connection with the outside through large, usually north- facing, decks and patios. 1960s This era also saw the growth of the project home which was characterised by freestanding double-brick dwellings appearing The 1960s saw real growth in Perth with But there were still limited materials. As across Perth from Wembley Downs to the first mineral boom. This led to the a result, the designs created during this Karrinyup and beyond. intake of new migrants from the United era were beautiful in their simplicity. We Kingdom and Europe, and with them saw the introduction of open-plan living came a host of new architects. Among and real functionality and for the first time them was Ivan Ivanoff, a young Bulgarian since WWII, furniture and interior design who designed landmark homes in the became an important part of setting up new and growing suburb of Floreat. a home. BRICKS THROUGH THE YEARS 1983 1987 1990 1993 2010 2014 2016 The unique Limestone Hue The Maxi Brick is Florentine Masterpave. The first to be The Pearl Range Recently released – Handmade range becomes one launched to give Limestone is the produced at Midland’s new develops as a the slim-line Contempo (top) is launched of the all-time builders more first Double Height masonry plant. favourite. A clean Range. together with the best sellers. strength and face brick and monochromatic look. ‘Grevillea’ (bottom) versatility. becomes WA’s to set the tone for number one. the 80s. 7 1970s Mixing it up The 70s were all about shag rugs, brave wallpaper design and bell bottoms. The project home boom was well underway across the northern suburbs, with designs starting to reflect mid-century modernism. We saw the introduction of simpler raked rooflines with high-vaulted ceilings exaggerated by sunken lounge rooms. The front of the home also showcased the introduction of rendered and bagged finishes to either complement or replace the face brick. Mixing and matching paint colours opened up a whole new world of design trends. Mission brown, beige hues and white were popular choices, both inside and out. The 80s saw the extension of the Freeway, the opening of Murdoch University and the birth of s\ Gen-Y. Perth was starting to expand southward with 1980 s the development of suburbs like Willetton, Bullcreek 1980 and Bibra Lake. The Hyatt Hotel (then the Merlin) Face bricks was becoming a landmark on Adelaide Terrace. and Federation House styles started to take on the resurgence of the Federation period, which saw the use and choice of face bricks grow, with colours moving towards dark reds, greens and creams. 8 Home design focused on open-plan interiors and alfresco areas that connected the indoors with the outside, which proved to be a perfect fit for the West Australian lifestyle. Federation was still in vogue, but we saw a shift by the mid 90s to a Tuscan style that embraced cream Rise1990s of the Tuscan villa and limestone textures with vivid terracotta roof tiles. This period also saw the introduction of double height bricks to replicate the look of limestone blocks. Double storey homes were starting to become more commonplace as block sizes become smaller and Perth suburbs started to grow upwards. 2000s Sustainability hits the spotlight The new century saw the rise in popularity of sustainable building practices. Architects pushed design boundaries using combinations of brick, block, stone and steel to create styles that were more architecturally exciting. There was also a definite shift towards rendered, painted exteriors in greys and charcoal that still remain popular. Today’s focus is very much on the environmental performance and mandatory star ratings which has led many designers to rediscover the thermal benefits and creative qualities of clay brick. 9 2010 & beyond New thinking and wide open spaces There has been no backing off bricks over the past few years with its inclusion in both internal and external design soaring.