155 Drummond Street
A technically demanding residential refurbishment that turned the building’s own original brick into something entirely new — bespoke Jesmonite panels that honour the history of the material while transforming the façade.
The Brief
The client came to Simplicity after an initial design phase had stalled on how to repurpose the building’s existing brick material into the new façade. Rather than sourcing new materials, the brief was specific: the original brick had to form the foundation of the new exterior. We were challenged to find a way to make that work: technically, aesthetically, and at scale.
The Challenge
The project demanded a genuinely bespoke approach from the outset. The existing brick façade was meticulously dismantled and the bricks crushed down to a 5–6mm aggregate, sieved to remove dust before being introduced into the Jesmonite mix.
The stepped panel profile added a further layer of complexity. Casting up to five distinct shades of crushed red brick simultaneously, without colours bleeding into one another, required precise management of timing, viscosity, and sequence throughout the pour. Any loss of control would have compromised the crisp, clean edges between each shade.
Our Approach
Each panel was designed with a carefully considered colour graduation: lower-level panels used two shades of recycled brick aggregate, incrementally building to five shades on the top-floor panels. This created a natural visual variance across the elevation while maintaining a coherent material language throughout.
To achieve this, we developed a sequential casting process — working from the face backwards — and used specialised additives and viscosity control to prevent stone settlement and seepage between colours. The exterior panels were finished with a heavy edge technique to draw out the natural texture of the brick aggregate.
The Result
The completed façades transform the character of the building while directly referencing its original material. By repurposing the existing brick, we significantly reduced waste and preserved resources. Delivering a scheme that is as environmentally considered as it is architecturally distinctive. This project is a strong demonstration of our ability to merge creativity with environmental responsibility, producing technically demanding solutions in residential construction.
