Using the UK Brick visualiser to prototype your design

The UK Brick visualiser lets you apply real brick products to a 3D house model and see how they look before you commit to a specification. Change the brick, the groove colour, the roof tile and the window finish all in one session. The result updates instantly.

For architects working through design options with a client, this removes a lot of back-and-forth. You can test combinations in the room, share a direct link to your chosen configuration, and move to sampling with a much shorter list.

What the tool lets you configure

The visualiser is not a basic colour picker. Each parameter in the URL reflects a real product decision:

Brick – the brick product applied to the façade

Groove – Mortar or groove colour

Linking – Bond pattern (e.g. vertical stack)

Paving – External paving product

Roof – Roof tile colour and type

Windows – Window frame colour

House – The building model used

How to use the visualiser in a design session

Step 1: Open the tool. Go to Visual Tools. The default view loads a house model with a pre-set configuration. No login needed.

Step 2: Select your brick. Use the brick selector to browse available products by code or colour family. The facade updates as you click. Start with the colour range you are working toward and narrow from there.

Step 3: Adjust the groove colour. Mortar colour has a significant effect on how a brick reads at distance. A light brick with a dark groove reads very differently from the same brick with a natural grey mortar. Test both before forming a view.

Step 4: Set the bond pattern. The linking parameter controls the bond. Vertical stack bond gives a strong contemporary grid. Test this against the brick and groove combination you are considering.

Step 5: Match paving and roof. If the project includes external paving or a pitched roof, set those parameters to match your specification. Seeing the full material palette together catches clashes that individual swatches miss.

Step 6: Copy the URL. Once you have a configuration worth keeping, copy the URL from the browser. That link is your saved state. Paste it into a project document, a client email or a presentation slide.

Where this fits in an architect's workflow

The brick visualiser tool for architects is most useful between concept sign-off and detailed design. At that stage, clients need visual confidence before technical decisions are locked in.

Showing a configured 3D model on the actual house type is more persuasive than a flat material board. It answers the question clients struggle to visualise from swatches: how does this all look together?

It also reduces late-stage specification changes. Agreeing on brick, mortar and paving colours before a planning submission is submitted means fewer amendments and less programme risk.

Testing groove colour: Often overlooked, always important

One area architects frequently underestimate is mortar joint colour. The visualiser makes it easy to test this directly.

• Anthracite grouting sharpens the definition between units and suits dark or textured bricks
• Light grey or natural mortar softens the joint line and makes the brick colour read more evenly
• Buff or cream mortar against a warm brick can read as near-monolithic from a distance

Run the same brick code with two different groove colours and compare. The difference is often enough to change a client's preference entirely.

Ready to start prototyping?

The UK Brick visualiser takes the guesswork out of early-stage material decisions. Test your brick, groove and paving combinations, save your shortlisted configurations and bring them to your next client meeting with confidence.

When you have narrowed down your options, contact us directly or request samples to get physical references on site before you finalise your specification.

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