TH E AR CH I TECTUR AL DRY PR ESSED COLLECTION

about Bowral Bricks

Our tradition, experience and nancial strength has made bowral Bricks the rst choice for architects, builders, developers and home buyers. Our continued commitment to quality ensures Bowral dry pressed bricks will remain the benchmark for excellence for many years to come.

bowral dry pressed bricks

unique colours for authentic appeal

Bowral dry pressed bricks are the premium product for your building project. Proven in tough Australian conditions for more than a century, dry pressed bricks are renowned for their long lasting quality. Bowral dry pressed bricks are made to last using time-honoured techniques and modern technology. Choose the Bowral Bricks range for the unsurpassed quality that only one of Australias largest and most experienced brick makers can offer.
Tradition of timeless quality

Earthy terracotta tones. Creamy browns and beiges. Subtle golden shades. With such an extensive colour range available, Bowral Bricks are guaranteed to add a beautiful nish to your building project. The unique colour variations in each delivery of Bowral Bricks also ensures the authentic appeal that comes only with traditional manufacturing techniques.
shapes to suit your building needs

Bowral dry pressed bricks are available in standard shapes as well as sculptured custom shapes, allowing you to add individuality to both the interior and exterior of your development. Endless design patterns and custom colours make Bowral dry pressed shapes the perfect solution to versatile building design.
build on our award winning reputation for excellence

Bowral dry pressed bricks have been delivering timeless style and quality throughout the years, Bowral Bricks rst began producing this ever-popular range in the 1900s. Many decades later, Bowral Bricks continues to manufacture dry pressed bricks using traditional craftsmanship techniques at the Bowral manufacturing facility.
the premium building products

Bowral Bricks brings you more than 100 years brickmaking experience and an unrivalled investment in the brickmaking technology of tomorrow. Our continued commitment to quality ensures Bowral bricks will remain the benchmark for excellence for many years to come. Having won the John Horbury Hunt Award for excellence in brickwork 5 times, emphasises the high standard and quality that is found when using Bowral dry pressed bricks. Our tradition, experience and nancial strength has made Bowral Bricks the rst choice for architects, builders, developers and home buyers. Contact us to have one of our architectural consultants visit you with samples, technical information or to discuss your next project.

Bowral Bricks selects the nest quality clays and shales to create a clay mix, which is compacted into individual moulds at high pressure to produce solid and dimensionally accurate dry pressed bricks. With their solid appearance and square arris, Bowral dry pressed bricks are suitable for face work, rendering, painting, bagging and are perfect for chasing requirements. The nature of manufacturing provides them with extremely low moisture expansion, therefore offering a very stable building material. Modern technology helps meet nationwide demand for dry pressed bricks designed for todays residential and commercial building applications.

BRICK TYPE: Bowral Renovation Gertrudis Brown Front Cover Picture: Bowral Blue

table of content
.2

About Bowral Bricks

Bowral Bricks Colours

.4

Narellan Library

.6

Pymble Ladies College

.8

Knox Grammar

. 10

Macquarie University

. 12

Bowral50 Range

. 14

Bowral Bricks Shapes

. 16

Cleaning Techniques

. 18

Technical Information

. 19

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Bowral Bricks colours

Austral Bricks Bowral dry pressed bricks are AVAILABLE IN 13 DIFFERENT COLOURS. Proven in tough Australian conditions for more than a century, dry pressed bricks are renowned for their long lasting quality.

BRICK TYPE: Charolais Cream

BRICK TYPE: Bowral Murray Grey

Bowral Blue

Bowral capitol red

Bowral charolais cream

Bowral Brown

Bowral gertrudis brown

Bowral Guernsey Tan

Bowral hereford bronze

Bowral murray grey

Bowral limousin gold

Bowral renovation gertrudis brown

Bowral shorthorn mix

Bowral simmental silver

Bowral St. Pauls Cream

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narellan library
The new Library and Community Space was seen by the council as a signature building, setting the style for a revitalised town centre. Group GSA won the project in a limited competitive tender.

They were attracted to the design because it was different and it had an excitement in its use of colour and in its form.

Narellan, in Sydneys outer south-west, is slowly coming out of the shadow of its big brother, Camden. Best known as the home of Oran Park motor raceway, the area has seen a large inux of new residents in recent years. Located at a busy intersection, the complex describes an L wrapping around a brick-paved plaza integrated within the adjacent park of remnant eucalypt forests. The building features a library, youth centre, meeting rooms, community ofces and staff areas. All elevations are prominently displayed, with those to the north and west relating closely to the street. The western brickwork picks up on the masonry of the adjacent civic ofces. Brick is used a lot in civic developments, says Stephen Pearse, and the scale is right. You can create good, crisp forms out of brickwork. Its also durable, its not expensive, and its a cost-effective construction system. Brickwork also features internally, in stairs, balustrades and even wrapping around internal bridges. We have essentially carved space out of a strong brick form to create the main entry and lobby, Pearse explains. A highlight of the facade design is the striking red glass of the youth centre. The north face features a billboard-like, nine-metre-high, silk-screened, red glass artwork looking down on 2.1 metre high letters boldly forming the word LIBRARY. Visitations have risen markedly and the complex has generated a lot of interest from residents. People like being in it, Stephen Pearse observes, and I think they appreciate the quality that Richard Crookes put into the construction. It is very well put together. The Narellan Library and Community Space sets a precedent for future quality development in the region. ARCHITECT: Group GSA BRICK TYPE: Murray Grey and Bowral Blue

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Pymble Ladies College

While there is a fair degree of architectural diversity across the campus, PMDL has taken care to maintain continuity in the material palette. to use the Shorthorn Mix and Bowral Blue bricks in the Music School set a precedent for work in this part of the school.

The opening of the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts at Pymble Ladies College created a new landmark on a campus that has been growing steadily since its foundation in 1916. The Centre, named after the schools principal, completes a performing arts precinct, complementing the adjacent 13-year-old David Blackwell Music School. This is a landmark facility and a very signicant undertaking for the school council. Inevitably that leads to a building that makes some form of statement, comments PMDLs Andrew Pender who worked on this project with design director David Morris, Martin Cumming and Bill Shipman. Although the Centre comprises a foyer space, studios, two small rehearsal rooms and support spaces, the focus is on the 750-seat auditorium, large enough to accommodate the entire senior school cohort. Its the elephant in the room, says Pender wryly. You cant hide a 750-seat theatre. The drum shape reduces acoustic reections and creates a remarkably intimate performance space by minimising the distance between the stage and the back row, an important consideration for young performers. The building is cut deep into a slope and links on three levels with the Music School. On the upper level, the Music Schools brick colonnades continue to the Centres entrance, albeit in a less formal style, giving precedence to the drum shape. A second entrance, on the lower level, connects the Centre to the prep and junior school and allows transparency through the foyer to the quadrangle, the schools social centre. The logistics of designing and constructing such a building were enormous. The site was excavated to a depth of over seven metres. The bottom corner of the stage is about ve metres below grade at one corner. It was a building designed from the middle

down and the middle up, says Pender. Building it from the bottom up made it really quite difcult to get it out of the ground. Add to that equation, raked oors and the three-level connection to the Music School, not to mention construction taking place in the heart of an operating school. Structurally, the steel roof framing is carried on a concrete frame. The brickwork is a simple cladding, generally sitting on shelf angles. To Gledhill Constructions credit its a ne piece of work, Pender commends. While there is a fair degree of architectural diversity across the campus, PMDL has taken care to maintain continuity in the material palette. Our decision in 1989 to use the Shorthorn Mix and Bowral Blue bricks in the Music School set a precedent for work in this part of the school, Pender explains. There are things you can do with pressed bricks that you cant do with extruded bricks, he continues, particularly some of the detail work that we have used more extensively in other buildings than this one, using specials, cants, squints, and other shaped bricks. That really is a feature of the pressed brick and something that (Austral Bricks) Bowral plant has traditionally done very well. The consistency of palette, not only in the building materials but in landscape materials, is one of the things that tie the different parts of the college and different architectural expressions together, Andrew Pender concludes. ARCHITECT: PMDL Architecture + Design BRICK TYPE: Bowral Shorthorn Mix and Bowral Blue

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knox grammar
We last visited Knox Grammar School in February 2005, with the multi award winning k-2 centre. Designed by gardner Wetherill & associates it demonstrated a remarkable level of brickwork detailing the bowral shorthorn mix bricks.

Their newest building, Knox One, is the rst new building on the senior campus and followed their site master-planning that set out a Grand Walkway running through the campus, linking the sometimes disparate buildings. The school has about 1300 students, including boarders, on the senior campus and is considered to be in the upper echelon of Sydneys private schools. The building addresses the northern boundary of the schools rugby oval, and can only be described as truly multi-purpose. The basement level comprises change rooms and sports amenities, along with maintenance and ground-keeping workshops. The level above has a series of classrooms, while the top storey has a student canteen, function rooms, boarders dining room, and a commercial kitchen. The almost full-width balcony on the upper level allows excellent views over the oval. For this project Ross Gardner assumed the mantle of director, with Dennis Garden as project architect, and Phil Davis and Stephen Garden handling documentation. Adjacent to Knox One is the Main Building, located on the rugby ovals western edge. Our brief was to connect with the Main Building. While we didnt want to replicate this building, we were able to borrow details, says Dennis Garden. Typical of these are the herringbone brickwork panels under major windows, and two course header bricks and sill bricks on smaller reveals. Full height buttresses at gable ends add to their prominent display. While not identical to the bricks in the Main Building, the Bowral Shorthorn Mix dry pressed bricks selected for Knox One are entirely sympathetic with this and other campus buildings. The building sits on a sandstone plinth and has a conventional reinforced concrete frame. The brickwork is a simple cladding but self-supporting over its full height. The designers took advantage of the steep site, allowing the basement level to be accessed on grade from the east, while the second and top storeys are accessed from the west, again on grade. The basement change

rooms and the middle level are also directly accessible from the rugby oval. Since the completion of Knox One, the oval has been realigned ensuring the Main Building and Knox One fully frame the sports eld. Knox One won the 2007 Master Builders Association of NSW Excellence in Construction Award for private schools, $10 million to $25 million. The judges commented that the brickwork faade features arched windows and steep gables requiring top quality workmanship. The work was completed in fourteen months, within the centre of the school campus with restricted access. ARCHITECT: Gardner Wetherill & Associates BRICK TYPE: Bowral Shorthorn Mix

Our brief was to connect with the Main Building. While we didnt want to replicate this building, we were able to borrow details.

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Macquarie University
The Commerce Building is DEMs eighth Macquarie University project and the most sustainable and energy efcient to date, while retaining a high level of personal comfort for staff and students.

The new building was also envisioned as a landmark, sited at the entrance leading from the rail interchange and setting the theme for a new mixed-use commercial/university precinct. There was a conscious effort to make this more of a statement, says Rudi Valla, DEMs partner in charge of the project. He and design partner Jon Pizey acted as lead design coordinators. The university has well-established building standards. It has a very strong masterplanned requirement for a masonry character throughout the university campus and a particular palette of brick thats been a unifying material that the university has adopted for many years to tie the various buildings into a unied campus, Valla explains. In this case they also had some specic requirements about making the building culture-changing and environmentally sustainable. Although DEM has previously implemented various environmentally sustainable design features in other Macquarie projects, here they recommended a mixed-mode approach, blending a sophisticated natural ventilation system and other passive design principles with articial heating and cooling. We designed the building with an operable faade system which opens up in desirable ambient climatic temperature ranges and shuts off in inclement weather. The air-conditioning system only kicks in when it gets too hot or too cold. This allows us to utilise ventilation during those periods of the year when the ambient temperature and the humidity levels provide suitable indoor comfort. Brickwork is also an essential component of this design. Its a matter of how and where you use it, Valla considers. We have used the good thermal mass capabilities of brick to provide shielding on the east and west facades of the building, the sides subjected to the greatest heat loads. We created a series of bookends for the two pavilion buildings that make up the complex. They are constructed predominantly of brick

with very little window openings. We then oriented most of the windows to the north and south to pick up northern sun and natural light from the south, all appropriately shaded to avoid unwanted heat gain. The building also incorporates a centrally-located vertical feature element, nicknamed the Beacon. This feature is vertically glazed and strategically placed on the southern side of the complex at the Waterloo Road axis, providing a highly visible landmark to pedestrians and motorists, marking the universitys presence in the entry precinct, especially when lit at night. Structurally, the Commerce Building is conventional with reinforced concrete frames supporting post-tensioned oor slabs. We dont like to have the concrete slabs protrude through the brickwork as it detracts from the buildings appearance and creates waterproong problems, says Rudi Valla. So we tend to rely on the internal skin sitting on the concrete frame and the external skins supported off shelf angles. He believes brickwork offers a number of advantages. It has several characteristics that are very desirable, such as having very good durability and maintenance aspects, which is important to the university. How have staff and students reacted to the building? Its taken a little time to adapt to the building but the signs are very encouraging, Valla reports. Users are able to open a window and there are internally-adjustable fresh air louvres, allowing people to adjust their personal comfort level. The air-conditioning system can be adjusted at various points throughout the building rather than adopting a one-size ts all approach. Builder: Grindley Construction BRICK TYPE: Bowral Blue

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bowral50 Range
Austral Bricks Bowral dry pressed bricks have a new sleek addition to the family. Bowral50 contains all the outstanding qualities which have made the Bowral dry pressed bricks timeless but with one exception.

BRICK TYPE: Bowral50 Capitol Red

BRICK TYPE: Bowral50 Blue

As architecture design continually evolves the latest trend of mixing a number of different materials and faade systems was a driving force in creating the Bowral50 series. The Bowral50 will perfectly complement rendered wall, weatherboard, bagging, corrugated iron, stone walls and other highlight walls. Choose the Austral Bricks Bowral50 range for the unsurpassed quality that only one of Australias largest and most experienced brick makers can offer.
Bowral50 capitol red Bowral50 Blue

BRICK TYPE: Bowral50 Simmental Silver

Bowral50 charolais cream

Bowral50 gertrudis brown

Bowral50 simmental silver

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Bowral shapes
Austral Bricks Bowral dry pressed bricks are available in standard shapes as well as sculptured custom shapes, allowing you to add individuality to both the interior and exterior of your development.

bowral Bullnose Bricks:

Bullnose Stretcher

Bullnose HV Int. Return

Bullnose Header

Single Bullnose

Single Bullnose 109 Degree

Double Bullnose Ext. Return

Single Bullnose Ext. Return Right2

Double Bullnose

Single Bullnose Stop - Right

Single Bullnose Ext. Return-Right

Double Bullnose Stop

Offset Int. Return - Right

Bowral cant & squint bricks:

Single Cant

Double Cant Ext. Return

Double Cant

45 Degree Squint

Cant Stop - Right

Single Cant 162

Bowral plinth bricks:

plinth header

Short Internal Return - Right

Short Splay Stop - Right

Long Splay Stop - Right

Plinth External Return - Right

Double Plinth Ext. Return

Plinth External Return - Left

Plinth Stretcher

Bowral culvert & raDIAL bricks:

Radial Stretcher

Mitred Bat

Culvert Stretcher

Culvert Header

Bowral SCULPTURED bricks:

Scotia Stretcher

OGee2 Stretcher

OGee1 Sculptured Pinth Stretcher

Ovolo Stretcher

specications:
110 230 76 110 R 52 76 110 230 R 52 R 52 35 110 230 76 45 76 230 230 110 76

35

35 55

55

25

Single Bullnose Stop - Right

Double Bullnose Stop

Single Cant

Cant Stop - Right

Culvert Stretcher

230 76 76 230 76 110 230

Int. Radius 1700 & 2100

230 110 76 76 110 230 40

110

165

Culvert Header

Plinth External Return - Right

Radial Stretcher

Mitred Bat

Plinth Stretcher
68 110 55

190 76 40 230 110 76 110 230 115 76 110 230 60 76 76 55 or 58 110

plinth header

Long Splay Stop

Short Internal Return

60 Degree Squint

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cleaning techniques
It is good practice to test the method on a small inconspicuous area, to determine the effectiveness of the cleaning compound and the technique, and to check the wall for possible damage.

Safety Precautions

Apply the acid solution (as described previously) to the wall using a brush or spray.

Always wear protective clothing and protective equipment such as gloves, safety glasses, etc. DoNOT use high pressure cleaners to apply cleaning chemicals as it is dangerous to the operator and to those nearby. Store acid and acid solution in heavy duty plastic containers supplied by the manufacture and ensure that the containers are correctly stored (eg away from children). If the cleaning solution comes in contact with the body, irrigate the area with water immediately to remove all traces of the cleaning solution. If irritation continues seek medical advice immediately.
helpful high pressure cleaning tips:

Allow solution to remain on wall for 3-6 minutes before scrubbing vigorously.

Rinse thoroughly as small areas are cleaned.

Cleaning Mortar Stains with Hydrochloric Acid

Hydrochloric acid isonly used to remove mortar stains from clay brickwork. Generally, hydrochloric acid should not be used to treat any other stains or at any other time during the life of your brickwork. If used incorrectly, it can cause unsightly staining that is more difcult to remove. In particular, care should be taken to treat any vanadium stainsprior to cleaning with hydrochloric acid. The following ratios of hydrochloric acid to water are recommended: Light coloured bricks - 1 part hydrochloric acid to 20 parts water Dark coloured bricks - 1 part hydrochloric acid to 10 parts water Under no circumstances should more than 1 part hydrochloric acid to 10 parts water be used. It is better to scrub more vigorously than to use more acid. Allow solution to remain on wall for 3-6 minutes before scrubbing. Be sure not to scrub the joints. Rinse thoroughly, making sure all cleaning solution has been removed. For further information, please refer to www.australbricks.com.au

Dry press, slurry coated or glazed bricks should be cleaned by hand, not by high pressure water jets.
hand cleaning:

Hand cleaning is appropriate for small jobs or for when the use of a high pressure water jet is likely to cause damage. Dry press bricks should be generally cleaned by hand. The following procedure should be followed: Allow mortar to harden (clean 24-36 hours after completion of masonry work) and remove any large mortar particles with hand tools. Protect adjacent materials as recommended by themanufacturer of the proprietary cleaner. Saturate the wall with clean water. Never let the wall dry out during cleaning; work on small areas. Test a small unseen section prior to full-scale cleaning.

technical details
the following table outlines all technical specications for each bowral brick product.

Product

Brick Dimensions

Units Per Square Metre

Characteristic Unconned Compressive Strength

Characteristic Expansion (e factor)

Durability Class

Solar Absorption Rating

Bowral Blue Bowral Brown Capitol Red Charolais Cream Gertrudis Brown Guernsey Tan Hereford Bronze Limousin Gold Murray Grey Renovation Gertrudis Brown Shorthorn Mix Simmental Silver St Pauls Cream
Bowral50

230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 76mm H

50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

>20MPa >12MPa >8MPa >12MPa >12MPa >10MPa >12Mpa >8MPa >12MPa >12MPa >12MPa >12MPa >10MPa

<0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <1.0mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.6mm/m <1.0mm/m <0.5mm/m

EXP EXP EXP EXP EXP GP GP GP EXP EXP EXP GP EXP

Dark Medium Dark Light Dark Medium Medium Medium Dark Dark Medium Medium Light

Bowral Blue Capitol Red Charolais Cream Gertrudis Brown Simmental Silver

230mm L x 110mm W x 50mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 50mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 50mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 50mm H 230mm L x 110mm W x 50mm H

75 75 75 75 75

>20MPa >12MPa >12MPa >12MPa >12MPa

<0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m <0.5mm/m

EXP EXP EXP EXP GP

Dark Dark Light Dark Medium

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Contact details
13 BRIC (13 2742) www.australbricks.com.au Head ofce 738-780 Wallgrove Rd, Horsley Park 2175 PO BOX 6550 Wetherill Park NSW 1851 P: 02 9830 7700 F: 02 9831 3771 E: infonsw@australbricks.com.au NSW & ACT Display Centres Horsley Park 738 -780 Wallgrove Road Horsley Park NSW 2175 Canberra 7 Lithgow Street Fyshwick ACT 2609 Newcastle 1b George Street Mayeld Punchbowl 62 Belmore Road Punchbowl Tuggerah 19 Bryant Drive Tuggerah Bowral 1 Kiama Street Bowral Illawarra 45 Princes Hwy Albion Park Rail Port Macquarie 42 Jindalee Rd Port Macquarie

Our clay bricks are made from naturally occurring minerals that are kiln red to lock in their colour and strength for life. The composition of the raw materials as well as the ring process may cause each run to differ. The resulting colour variation is inherent in the process and part of the appeal of our natural products. The product images in our brochures give a general indication of colour for your preliminary selection. We recommend you also view current product samples before making your nal selection