From hand-made brick to high-tech product: building with blocks of fired clay today draws from a heritage of nine millennia and remains innovative, sustainable, and highly appreciated for its manifold applications. Since 2004, Wienerberger, the world's largest manufacturer of bricks and other clay building materials, biannually presents the international Brick Award as a scene for outstanding achievements in brick architecture. The 2020 edition of this master class saw 644 submissions from fifty-five countries that were reviewed by an international jury of experts. This book features the fifty nominees and the six winning designs, which are located in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central America. All projects are presented in texts and richly illustrated with atmospheric images, site and floor plans, views, elevations and sections. Five topical essays by international authors, discussing the winning buildings in a wider context, round out this celebration of contemporary brick architecture.

Whatever Rotterdam may be, it is not a cliche image of Holland. Maybe that is exactly the reason why characterizations of the city usually cannot do without a comparison with arch-rival Amsterdam. In contrast to its picture-perfect big sister, war-traumatized Rotterdam is full of urban ruptures: buildings come and go like in no other Dutch city. The transitory nature of architecture might also be related to its identity as a harbour city. "Other cities have a harbour, but in Rotterdam the harbour has a city", goes a local saying. The book Rotterdam. Architectural Guide presents 150 buildings, arranged by neighbourhood. On this foray through the city, the reader is introduced to its history - from the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century to the massive expansion of the harbour in the 19th century, from "the beautiful merchant's city" to industrial Rotterdam -, even if the focus is clearly on the 20th century and on the latest developments. For although the social problems are great, the city has recently become much more attractive. Around 2014 four iconic buildings were opened: high-rise De Rotterdam, the new Central Station, Markthal, and Timmerhuis. They kicked off a brand-new hype. At the other end of the spectrum lies a range of bottom-up, low-budget projects. Rotterdam offered ample space for such initiatives, with its openness for experiments and and the idea of the city as a prototype that continues to spread there. In combination with the upgrading of the city centre and the gentrification of former harbour areas, all this led to Rotterdam suddenly being called the "Dutch Brooklyn", praising its off-beat charm in comparison to overcrowded, mainstream Amsterdam. The book Rotterdam. Architectural Guide shows where this charm comes from and where you can find it.