Think Brick Awards

The Australian Embassy Bangkok is the joint winner of the Horbury Hunt Commercial Award at the 2018 Think Brick Awards gala held in Melbourne.

Located within the embassy quarter in central Bangkok, the Australian Embassy is designed to be an emblematic new presence for Australia in Thailand. The design reflects a blend of modern Australia and modern Thailand architecture to symbolise the cultural and diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Described as “a building from another time” by Professor Tom Heneghan, the building was developed with great care in construction, detailing and selection of materials. This considerate approach was realised through the contributions and commitment of the entire project team – client, designers and contractors. This ensured delivery of a timeless outcome – meeting a brief that called for a building that will have a 60-year functional life.

Bricks were selected for their visceral expressionistic qualities, made bespoke by Bowral Bricks to match the original Thai brick - “It Mon Dang” - the building block of Thai temples and public buildings for centuries; that colour also expresses the strong red oxide of Australian desert rocks, soil and sand.

The embassy comprises three buildings: the chancery, Head of Mission’s residence and guardhouse pavilion. The three buildings of the embassy are built with three different bricks enabling scale, tactility and expression – for the chancery “Embassy Red”; for the Head of Mission residence, roman sized “Bowral Blue”; and for the services building and street edge, “Brahman Granite”.