Reviews of Brick in the Landscape

From Landscape Architecture Magazine, Vol. 90, No. 1, January 28, 2000

Brick is, Sovinski writes, "the real thing". Its applications in the landscape are seemingly endless, and the author takes us far beyond Jefferson' seprentine walls at the University of Virginia. The properties, specifications, designs, and other technical aspects of using brick are all carefully detailed. A glossary of brick terms and a list of metric standards for brick masonry are also helpful.

From Brick News, Vol. 12, No. 8, January 28, 2000 Reviewer: Brian Trimble, Brick Industry Association

A new book on brick landscaping is out and it looks to provide useful guidance to designers. Brick in the Landscape covers applications such as walls, pavements, piers and steps all in one place. It is filled with photos and details which are sure to be useful for the designer. The book draws heavily from BIA's Technical Notes.

Brick in the Landscape discusses why to use brick in its introduction. It then proceeds to give a brief history of brick with a concise description of the manufacturing process. Brick sizes, types and shapes are described with accompanying photos. Applications of brick are well covered with pertinent information included to aid the designer. Finally, design considerations such as bond patterns, joint design and other special techniques are explained. Within each section a handy feature called "The Busy Designer's Quick Reference Guide" provides a summary of the preceding chapter.

Author, Rob Sovinski is a landscape architecture professor at Purdue University. No stranger to the masonry industry, every year he puts on the Boiler Brick Bowl. This past year he had over 50 students designing and constructing brick planters. This gets landscape architecture students learning early what brick can do.

I founded the annual Boiler Brick Bowl in 1994 with generous funding from the International Masonry Institute Boiler Brick Bowl. This event permits students to test the reality of their drawings by constructing brick structures in a time and juried competition. The event's primary sponsor is the International Masonry Institute.

During the last four months of 1999, I was privileged to spend one semester living and teaching in Warsaw, Poland.

Using live video-conferencing, students at the Agricultural University of Warsaw, SGGW, interacted with Purdue Students in a variety of exercises stressing professional practice in landscape architecture.