Since its origins, which is estimated to be around 7000 BC, bricklaying has changed a lot. This year looks like it will be no exception to the ever-evolving world of bricklaying, as many new trends are coming into the construction industry.
What brickwork trends will 2025 bring? As 2025 gets underway, we expect sustainability, design and innovation to all play significant roles in the industry.
In this blog, we’ll cover these three brickwork trends in more detail so you know what to expect and explain what we’re doing to ensure our clients receive a high-quality service integrated with these top trends.
Brickwork Trends You Need to Know About
As mentioned, sustainability, design and innovation will be the leading trends in 2025.
Innovation, in particular, will play a significant role in 2025 and beyond as demand increases for integrated solutions in construction. According to a RICS report, the top three reasons why construction companies use innovative processes and practices driven by digitalisation are:
- Enhancing progress monitoring and health, safety and well-being
- Cost estimation, prediction, planning and control
- Incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
However, according to the RICS report, 38% of respondents don’t use any digitalisation to enhance progress monitoring and health, safety and well-being; 37% of respondents don’t use any digitalisation for cost estimation, prediction, planning and control; and 45% of respondents don’t use any digitalisation for incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
At Phoenix Group, we believe in providing truly integrated solutions in construction, which is why this year, we are embracing sustainability even more and improving our efficiency, safety and quality of brickwork through innovative technology.
Trend 1: Sustainability in Brickwork
Consumers, clients, and construction companies are all demanding greater responsibility regarding sustainability. This is hardly surprising when worldwide construction activities consume 3 billion tonnes of raw materials annually, and manufacturing and delivering construction materials results in millions of tonnes of CO2.
That’s why sustainability will continue to be a big trend in 2025, as more people demand eco-friendly building materials and practices.
An eco-friendly option is sustainable brickwork manufacturing processes, which help reduce waste and lower emissions. Sustainable brickwork manufacturing processes use recycled materials, renewable energy and waste heat recovery.
At Phoenix Group, we’re committed to being a sustainable company, which is why our Sustainability Policy is always carefully considered when starting, during and after a project. Here are some of our current sustainable commitments:
- Reusing and recycling – All our scaffold boards are reused or recycled, and we reuse our recycled off-cuts and waste on-site (where possible). We also consider the recycled content of our materials and, if possible, will use sustainable alternatives.
- Reducing waste – We manage material deliveries and stock control to limit the amount of material stored on site and the amount of waste produced.
- Reducing energy consumption – Our employees and operatives are provided with an energy usage site induction and are reminded via Energy Efficiency focused Tool Box Talks to be mindful of their energy consumption.
- Focusing on longevity – One of the services our sister company, BrickCare Ltd, provides is brick cleaning and maintenance, which ensures sustainability and the longevity of brickwork, reducing the need for replacements.
- Environmentally friendly fuel – Our forklifts now use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel, which helps reduce emissions and waste.
Trend 2: Design Innovations in Brickwork
Boring brickwork is out, and we’ll see more innovative designs this year. With a heavy focus on the design element of buildings, you can expect to see more unique brickwork patterns, artistic textures and head-turning colours.
2025 is going to be the year of more playful brick orientation, subtle colour variations within structures, and experimental three-dimensional arrangements that create a dream-worthy facade.
At Phoenix Group, we’re ahead of the curve as we’ve been strategically creating and implementing complex, innovative brickwork for years, including at:
- Secklow Gate, Milton Keynes – At Secklow Gate, we built the stunning brickwork which consisted of a 'Honeycomb' style and 'Protruding headers' for four multi-storey build-to-rent apartment blocks. This project, which created 329 private rental apartments for the community of Milton Keynes, involved us providing supply and installation of the masonry package and scaffolding.
- Freemans Common, Leicester – Here we completed brickwork for the new four-storey Teaching and Learning Centre, which consisted of using Wienerberger Anglesey Buff Multi for the main building and facing brick piers with a recess feature for the North elevation.
- Mustard Wharf, Leeds – This project was shortlisted for the 2022 Brick Awards. The £3m masonry package, which began in October 2019, was split over three blocks of brickwork-clad SFS buildings with stone feature bands, decorative brickwork panels, and masonry soffit supports.
What our design approach means for you
We prioritise bespoke project management and ensure early involvement and collaboration with our clients and supply chain from tender to completion so all design expectations are met.
We also offer a scaffold design 3D modelling service for our customers, allowing you to see our projects' early interfaces and designs.
While the initial SFS design might originate with a third-party client, we elevate it to BIM Level 2 for Design & Coordination, ensuring seamless integration and minimising potential issues down the line.
What truly distinguishes us is our comprehensive management approach. We act as the central hub, expertly coordinating the design process from client and manufacturer to on-site implementation.
Our in-house expertise across specialist trades like masonry, drylining, and scaffolding allows us to proactively identify and address potential interface issues before they become costly problems. This pre-tender involvement gives our clients confidence in budgets and a clear understanding of potential design gaps, coordination challenges, and compliance requirements – a level of foresight that puts us miles ahead of the competition.
Trend 3: Technological Innovations in Brickwork
Technological advances are transforming the construction and bricklaying industry.
Automation plays a crucial role in the prefabrication of materials and building components, which can be manufactured off-site and then assembled on-site.
Technological innovations, such as robotics and prefabrication, are helping improve brickwork's efficiency, safety, speed and quality. In turn, this translates to faster project completions and reduced labour costs.
At Phoenix Group, we’re keen to adopt technologically innovative processes that make our clients’ lives easier. That’s why we offer:
An innovative, easy-to-use app
Our app puts all project information, paperwork, and site files at your fingertips, no more physical site files! Everything can be filled in, sent, and viewed directly on the app. This streamlined approach makes it easier and quicker to track all projects, regardless of size.
The app also facilitates quality assurance tracking, health and safety recording, and progress and programme updates. It also enhances client communication, allowing us to send forms and updates directly through the app. This creates a smoother, faster, and more managed process than traditional paper-based systems.
Here’s a quick snapshot of how our app benefits you (the customer):
- Reduced administrative burden: Say goodbye to managing physical paperwork.
- Improved project visibility: Access all project information in one central location.
- Faster communication: Receive updates and communicate with us quickly and easily.
- Enhanced project tracking: Stay informed about progress, quality, and safety.
- Increased efficiency: Streamlined processes save you time and resources.
A one-stop-shop approach
You can reduce costs, minimise delays and enjoy a smoother project execution with our one-stop-shop approach, which combines all our services (Phoenix Brickwork, Phoenix Drywall and BMH Scaffolding) into a practical and simple integrated solution.
Innovation and technology go hand-in-hand, so we’re always on the lookout for new technologies that we can implement to improve our services and client experiences.
Brickwork That Brings Your Vision to Life
Brickwork trends come and go, but we’re confident that the sustainability, design and innovation trends are all here to stay because of an increasing demand for integrated solutions in the construction industry.
At Phoenix Group, we’re committed to ensuring our clients receive high-quality services and products, which is why we closely monitor industry trends and adhere to implementing them into our practices.
Want to learn more about how our sustainability processes, bespoke design solutions and technological innovations can help you bring your vision to life?
Contact us today to discuss your next project and discover how our integrated solutions help you.
