Dubio
Facing Brick
Dubio is one brick with shadow joints that brings forth the illusion of two or three thinly stacked bricks. This offers seemingly creative options, that were seen as impossible until recently, which translate not only into an economical return, but ecological as well.
DESIGN ROEL VANDEBEEK
IN COLLABORATION WITH NELISSEN
YEAR 2017
GERMAN DESIGN AWARD | ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN COLLECTION AWARD
BLT AWARD | BELGIAN BUILDING AWARD | HENRY VAN DE VELDE AWARD
The chapter of the brick is not even close to finishing, was the thought of Designer Roel Vandebeek of design agency ‘It’s a Roel’ from Maasmechelen. He took his concept of the shadow joints and introduced it to Nelissen Brickworks in Lanaken. The manufacturer immediately saw the potential of the idea, patented it and proposed to use its N70 brick as a base. Designer Roel Vandebeek added the shadow joints to the N70 brick which creates the illusion that a wall is built out of remarkably thin bricks. In the meantime, the innovative brick has won several awards: in addition to the Henry Van de Velde Efficiency Award, Dubio was also chosen as the winner of the Product Innovation Award at the Belgian Building Awards. In addition, Dubio won in 2019 a German Design Award.
As a product designer Roel is in touch with architects on a regular basis meaning he has a good grasp not only of the trends, but also the necessities within the construction world. “Architects are very fond of glued brick facades plus the demand for an original linear pattern keeps increasing” according to Vandebeek. To fill in this need, the designer in cooperation with Nelissen offers a sustainable solution, the Dubio-brick. “The brick has the ability to make you doubt because of its shadow joints, these joints create the illusion that the façade is built up out of thin bricks. An innovative breakthrough.
