Projecting or relief brickwork (Dutch “kartelwerk”) is decorative brickwork in which bricks, or whole courses, alternately project forward, for example by about 20 mm, and recede, creating a blocked or toothed relief pattern across the facade.
Characteristics
Instead of a flat wall face, projecting brickwork plays with depth. Some bricks are set slightly proud of the general surface while their neighbours sit back, so the wall gains texture and shadow.
- Individual bricks, or entire courses, can be stepped forward and back.
- The forward projection is often modest, in the order of about 20 mm.
- The result is a rhythmic pattern of highlights and shadows that changes with the light.
Because each projecting brick must be positioned and bedded carefully, this kind of work is more labour-intensive than plain, flush brickwork. The reward is a facade with far more visual interest.
Application
Projecting brickwork is used to enrich facades and to emphasise particular features, such as bands, borders, cornices and the surrounds of windows and doors. It is a traditional way of adding decoration using nothing but the bricks themselves, without applied ornament. Related patterns, such as the dogtooth course, use the same idea of stepping bricks out of the wall plane to catch the light.
Related terms
- Bond
- Dogtooth course
- Brick
- Facade
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