Leading clay brick and paving manufacturer Corobrik is extending its existing product range.

“For us as a brand and as a business, being flexible in responding to changing market requirements remains a top priority,” says Sales Director Ockert van Heerden.

“Architects are creative by design and want a signature look, as well as to challenge the industry and push boundaries. They observe the prevalent international trends and question if it is possible to introduce these to the South African market,” notes van Heerden.

As a manufacturer, Corobrik then evaluates these opportunities to see what is practical to implement.

“Our technological capability gives us great flexibility in being able to respond to market requirements in terms of textures and colours, for example,” says van Heerden.

The latest developments in Corobrik’s product range came about when W Design Architecture Studio requested a travertine or textured finish specifically for Black Brick and Onyx from the Satin face brick range. As a result of the client input, Corobrik has added the travertine finish to four of its existing well-known Satin face bricks, including Black, Onyx, Titanium, and Platinum.

“Our factory took on the challenge, and not only in the one product requested. We used the opportunity to extend our range with four new travertine finish face bricks. It has worked out quite well, and the products have been launched. Again, that has purely been due to the engagement with our client base and the constructive feedback we receive,” says van Heerden.

Architect Johan Wentzel explains that W Design Architecture Studio has carried out a few projects where it combined a travertine finish face brick with Corobrik’s Black Brick Satin. “It was readily apparent that the travertine was forgiving in terms of allowing for a much better overall finish. This resulted in our suggestion to Corobrik to include a travertine finish on its flagship range.”

Architect Grete Van As adds that W Design Architecture Studio was excited to receive a sample of the new product.

“Our initial order has already been delivered to site for an office development we are working on. We think that architects are really going to love the travertine finish. It will change the way that architects use black bricks in their designs.”

A particular advantage of the new face brick is that it can be combined with the satin finish, allowing for unique patterning to be created.

Another new addition to the Corobrik range is the Nougat clay paver. “Again, this came about due to feedback from customers to say we see a trend in the paving and flooring market for natural colours, what can we do?” says van Heerden. Corobrik took on the challenge and produced such a warm, soft, and natural colour that Nougat seemed an appropriate name.

“There is definitely a demand for such a colour range in the paver segment, and we look forward to developing further new products as well as extending our existing paver range,” concludes van Heerden.