Geometric brick sculpture highlights craft skills at risk

A new brick sculpture at Grayson’s Sheffield headquarters showcases advanced bricklaying techniques that the team state are increasingly absent due to today’s fast-paced, volume-driven industry.

Commissioned by construction consumables supplier Grayson and designed by fifth-generation master bricklayer Mark Rosier, the installation combines a traditional tower base with geometric forms. It references Sheffield’s industrial heritage while demonstrating the potential of contemporary brickwork.

The piece is constructed using Michelmersh bricks, selected for their ability to accommodate precise detailing and subtle colour variation. The design incorporates complex setting-out, non-linear courses and tight geometric tolerances – methods that are rarely specified on standard residential schemes.

Rosier says the project responds to a shift in the sector towards speed and standardisation, which has reduced opportunities for skilled, decorative brickwork. He adds that without targeted investment in training and design ambition, these techniques risk being lost.

Alongside bespoke commissions, Rosier delivers training programmes focused on geometric and decorative bricklaying, aimed at maintaining specialist skills within the sector.

For architects, the project highlights what can be achieved when programme constraints are relaxed and materials are used to their full potential. It also raises questions about how specification decisions can support or limit craft-based construction.

Grayson says the collaboration is intended to demonstrate the role of materials, tools and expertise in enabling complex masonry, and to encourage wider recognition of specialist bricklaying skills within the industry.