Selkirk inspires Asian design, brick by brick

As Asia's high-end architects, builders, developers and designers become more discerning with their choice of suppliers, the "Build with Selkirk" promise makes the company a solid choice. Recognised among Australia's pioneers, Selkirk is the country's largest privately owned brick manufacturer and No4 in the wider bricks, pavers and masonry business. Operating in the residential and commercial building construction space, it has also been recognised with an export award for its reach into Hong Kong.

Five generations in the past 128 years have fuelled the company's passion for innovation. Selkirk pioneered the continuous kiln in 1905 and enabled brick manufacturing with the introduction of butane gas-fired tunnel kilns in 1962 - a world first.

The company has stayed ahead of the industry in automation and design, delivering premium quality, consistency and diversity of style through sustainable production methods. It is developing a low-energy brick and new methods for harnessing waste stream from other industries to meet increasing environmental standards.

"Our innovations deliver unique architectural styles, premium quality and an imaginative range of aesthetics via textures, formats and colours. Whether our clients are in Hong Kong, the mainland, Japan or in Australia, they have products that inspire design and are built to last," says managing director Anthony Stone.

Selkirk's products are highly visible throughout Asia, spanning Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Thailand. Its pavers line Hong Kong International Airport, among many other prestigious commercial and residential projects. In Hong Kong, it works with established distributing partners, Link Firm and Tristar Building Materials.

"Our exposure to export markets is an important source of information for development. By understanding the needs of our Asian customers, we can proactively develop value-added solutions for the building industry in the region. We also want to add value through responsible corporate citizenship and support the communities and environments in which we work," Stone says.

Selkirk's products ensure style and prestige while adding value through versatility and low maintenance. Moreover, the physical properties of Selkirk's primary products - bricks and cladding - deliver immense environmental benefits and energy savings by reducing total heating and cooling energy requirements by up to 25 per cent.

To sustain growth in Asia, Selkirk is keen on niche partnership opportunities on the mainland and Southeast Asia. It welcomes logistically positioned Asian companies as potential partners to fulfil the demand from high-end architects and builders in the region.