Showhome catches up with Harry Browning, National Sales Manager – Housebuild, Vandersanden to discuss brick choice and craftmanship
Please give us a brief insight into your role and background?
My role is all about delivering exceptional service to housebuilders, helping them choose the perfect brick for every project. Bricks offer incredible possibilities – from the wide range of colours and textures to innovative solutions like coated bricks that prevent gypsum efflorescence, and carbon-negative bricks that support sustainable construction.
For every build, I work closely with our customers to ensure they select the right brick for their vision and requirements. My priority is to make sure every project benefits from Vandersanden’s extensive product range and technical expertise, so everything runs smoothly, meets compliance standards, and fulfils the needs of the housing sector.
Vandersanden is marking 100 years in 2025. How does the company’s heritage and founding story continue to influence its values, manufacturing philosophy and product strategy today?
Vandersanden’s story began in 1925 with Jaak Vandersanden’s passion for craftsmanship and innovation. From a modest field kiln in Belgium, the company grew into Europe’s largest family-owned brick manufacturer. That heritage underpins everything we do today: a commitment to quality, authenticity, and long-term partnerships. Our founding principles of craftsmanship, sustainability, and community, remain central to our manufacturing philosophy. They inspire us to combine traditional techniques with cutting-edge processes, ensuring our products deliver both timeless beauty and future-ready performance. This legacy drives our product strategy, from classic hand-formed bricks to pioneering solutions like Pirrouet®, the world’s first CO2-negative facing brick.
How does Vandersanden’s flexibility support housebuilders in meeting diverse architectural, aesthetic and planning requirements across different UK regions?
Every development is unique, and Vandersanden’s extensive portfolio reflects that. We offer over 100 colours, multiple textures, and a wide range of sizes and formats, from traditional stock bricks to contemporary waterstruck styles. This flexibility enables housebuilders to meet regional planning requirements and achieve the desired aesthetic, whether it’s heritage-inspired charm or a more contemporary look. Our technical advisors and sales team work closely with developers to provide tailored solutions for their projects. Whether they are constructing, renovating or transforming a building, our aim is to work together to find a solution to any facade challenge. From advice about facing bricks, facade systems or prefab solutions, we can suggest the right product for each project.
In a housing market increasingly attentive to sustainability, Vandersanden has created products such as Pirrouet®. What has been the response from developers and housebuilders to this innovation?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Pirrouet® is a CO2-negative facing brick and addresses the urgent need for sustainable building solutions without compromising aesthetics or performance. Developers are impressed by the benefits, such as its ability to absorb 60 kg of CO2 per tonne during production, its use of 80% recycled materials, and its compliance with European standards. Projects across Europe, including large-scale housing schemes, have embraced Pirrouet® for its environmental credentials and design versatility. Contractors are reporting smooth integration into traditional building methods, reinforcing its practicality alongside its sustainability benefits.
With brick choice often setting the tone for a development’s long-term appeal and durability, how does Vandersanden balance traditional craftsmanship and modern sustainable manufacturing?
We believe aesthetics and responsibility go hand in hand. Vandersanden combines century-old craftsmanship with advanced technologies to reduce environmental impact. Green pioneering projects make Vandersanden a leader in the construction sector and we will continue to innovate and invest in the coming years to achieve our climate goal.
‘Together to Zero’ is our mission at Vandersanden: working together to achieve zero CO2 emissions by 2050. We have invested 30 million euros in a factory that produces our Pirrouet® CO2-negative facing bricks: bricks that no longer emit CO2 but absorb it. We are strongly committed to making our products and processes even more sustainable, and we now offer a wider range of narrower bricks and brick slips…
