The Brick Industry Association has announced the 2006 winners of its annual Brick in Architecture Awards. This prestigious awards program recognizes outstanding works of non-residential architecture completed since 2001 in which clay brick is prominently featured in construction.

Architects and designers employed by architectural, design-build or landscaping design firms licensed in the U.S. or Canada are invited to enter the competition by submitting a description, floor plan and photography of a breakthrough project. Best in Class, Gold, Silver and Bronze awards were given in seven categories: Commercial; Educational/Schools; Health Care Facilities; Municipal/Government; House of Worship; Other Institutional; and Paving & Landscape Architecture.

A panel of five architects and three landscape architects from across the country judged the entries based on fulfillment of project goals, aesthetic interest and appeal, and overall impression.

The seven Best in Class winners include: (Educational) Oak Park Elementary School, Corpus Christi, TX, Richter Architects; (Health Care) Concord Hospital, Concord, NH, TRO/The Ritchie Organization; (Other Institutional) Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Diamond and Schmitt Architects, Inc; (House of Worship) Greek Orthodox Church of the Resurrection, Brookville, NY, Bentel & Bentel Ltd.; (Commercial) Farm Credit Services of America Corporate Headquarters, Omaha, NE, The Clark Enersen Partners; (Municipal/Government) Copernicus Center, Chicago, IL, Harding Partners; (Paving & Landscape Architecture) McKinley Avenue at Ball State University, Muncie, IN, Rundell Erstberger Associates, LLC.

"The brick industry is pleased to acknowledge these exceptional examples of brick architecture," said Dick Jennison, president of BIA. "The winning projects demonstrate the versatility and enduring appeal of clay brick in today's construction. Brick is, and always has been, a superior cladding material with unlimited design potential."

All winning entries will be featured in the Brick Gallery on BIA's website, http://www.gobrick.com. Winners selected from each of the seven entry categories will have their projects published in a special issue of Brick In Architecture and in Brick News Online in Fall 2006. Top winners in each category also will be featured in a special insert in Architectural Record and will receive a Brick In Architecture Awards plaque commemorating the 2006 program.