The York Handmade Brick Company has won the Sustainability category in the prestigious 2025 Brick Awards.
York Handmade, based at Alne, near Easingwold, in North Yorkshire, triumphed for its brickwork at York Racecourse.
The company was also shortlisted in two categories (Craftsmanship and Specialist Brickwork Contractor) for its work at Clare College, Cambridge, and in the Worldwide category for a brand-new Swiss hotel in Martigny.
The Brick Awards were held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in the heart of London’s West End. Run by the Brick Development Association, they celebrate the world’s greatest clay brick architecture and craftsmanship. The ceremony was hosted by renowned impressionist and broadcaster Jon Culshaw.
York Handmade’s winning entry featured work at the new Bustardthorpe Stand and Roberto Pavilion at York Racecourse.
Commenting on York Handmade’s winning entry, the Brick Awards’ judges praised the project’s “holistic approach, which considered every aspect of design and construction to minimise environmental impact, from using 70,000 locally handmade bricks to incorporating solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and a living green roof.
“The adaptive reuse of existing structures, the use of locally sourced and natural materials, and the integration of smart building systems were highlighted as particularly impressive. Overall, the development was recognised as a model of sustainable, community-focused design that delivers measurable environmental benefits while enhancing the local context.”
York Handmade managing director Guy Armitage said: “We are tremendously proud to have won the Sustainability Award this year and have also been shortlisted for two other fantastic projects. This is a great honour.
“Huge thanks are due to the management team and employees at York Handmade for their imagination, enterprise and hard work, which all combined to make these projects so successful and so memorable.
“It is fitting that our major success was in the Sustainability category, as sustainability is at the heart of what we do. Our winning entry, the new Bustardthorpe Stand and Roberto Pavilion at York Racecourse, is such a great example of this, with our bricks being manufactured only 12 miles away from the racecourse.”
Kevin Dawson, director of Dawson Williamson Architects, added: “We were pleased to win the Sustainability category at the Brick Development Association Awards for our recent work on the Bustardthorpe Development at York Racecourse, working in partnership with York Handmade Brick
“Our contribution forms an important part of the Green Knavesmire 300 Strategy and the broader commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2040, positioning York as one of the most sustainable racecourses in the world.”
