According to Arthur Gammage, acting manager, Urban Design and Landscape architecture at eThekwini Municipality, clay bricks have made their mark on Durban’s urban landscape through the ages, making Corobrik’s clay pavers the ideal means of improving existing precincts where historical elements are distinguishing features and adding that perfect finishing touch to newly developed areas where modern architecture is the major influence.

Practical features such as durability, versatility and longevity make Corobrik pavers ideal for high traffic areas in the inner city, sea frontages and suburban commercial centres. Urban improvement projects where they have recently played a role include Verulam’s Ghandi Park and CBD, the Umkomaas CBD and Warner Beach’s new ‘town square’. The city recently embarked on Phase 2 of the Umhlanga Promenade upgrade and has selected 10 000 m2 of Cederberg, Champagne and Burgundy pavers for pedestrian areas which stretch from the Lighthouse south to the soon-to-be enlarged parking area.

Mike Ingram, Corobrik Director of Sales KwaZulu-Natal and Border says that Corobrik pavers while being skid resistant even when wet have well recognized durability characteristics to perform in the harsh beachfront environment pedestrian precincts. They are also easy to lay and maintenance friendly and can be easily ”unzipped” to gain access to underground services and then “rezipped" using the same bricks without leaving a "scar".

Durban has taken this one step further, lifting the Cederberg and Burgundy pavers as used to create a transport hub adjacent to the Durban Exhibition Centre during the 2010 Soccer World Cup for use elsewhere. Gammage says some of these uplifted pavers have been used to upgrade of Old Fort Place.

Gammage emphasized how clay pavers also provide significant artistic opportunity as they come in both earthy tones and bright strong colours which do not fade and that combine well with other landscaping elements to provide contrast, pattern design opportunities and combinations of contrasting textures so important for uplifting urban landscapes.

Ingram pointed out how the extensive upgrading and redevelopment projects well depict how newer paver products complement those used in the past and integrate well with other materials resulting in coherence and consistency.

A good example is Durban’s beachfront. During the recent upgrade, a total of 75 000 sq/m of Corobrik products were used. Michael Tod architects explain that Burgundy pavers and Natural Grey Corocobble featured strongly in the beachfront promenade while the beachfront medians combined Burgundy and Nutmeg pavers. “This provided the variety in colour and texture we needed and was a natural contrast to the pigmented concrete used on the promenade.”

Existing Corobrik clay pavers that featured strongly in designs during the 80’s upgrade were incorporated. The architect said that Corobrik clay pavers have a proven track record of reliability and durability within the harsh coastal environment. “We also wanted to limit the use of different materials. Since we had to incorporate the existing central beachfront into the design philosophy, it made sense to utilize the same pavers. With the introduction of a polished concrete band every 50m, we were able to unify the old with the new.”

While brighter peaches and blues of the Park Avenue range were used along Durban’s Golden Mile, darker colours - De Hoop Matt Brown (made in Corobrik’s Western Cape factory), together with Burgundy and Cederberg – were selected to fit in with the old world charm of the Florida Road precinct. Gammage says these complement both the turn of the century buildings in the area and the “street furniture” which includes light poles adapted from the trolley buses of yesteryear. In addition to using Corobrik clay pavers for pedestrian areas, intersections were also paved, adding aesthetic value whilst also acting as a traffic calming measure, creating a rumble effect due to the contrasting textures between the clay pavers and asphalt.

To date, within the Durban CBD, various inner city blocks have been upgraded using clay pavers. Examples of those used in the inner city in accordance with standard detail developed as part of the City Beautification specifications can be seen along Masabala Yengwa Avenue and Sandile Thusi Road. Corobrik’s Burgundy clay paver frames the infill of a standard 500x500mm concrete paver.

Again, says Gammage, it was a case of combining the old and the new. “During the 1980’s beach and city regeneration programmes, we made extensive use of local Corobrik pavers. Madison Dawn and Dusk pavers were used for the Centrum (old Railway Station) site. The Workshop Centre interior has Lawley Apricot and Nutmeg pavers. These still look good after years of foot traffic. We also used local Park Avenue pavers, ranging from Peach through Plum to Blue. Church Walk has panels of Plum framed by exposed aggregate concrete slabs. The Marine Parade and Lower Marine Parade had Peach and Blue bands and swirls for colour and combined well with other materials - especially rumblestone concrete pavers.”