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design
mag
In Profile
Since 2005, the innovative bricklaying partnership of
Elvis & Rose (
) has been working
with and inspiring architects up and down the East
Coast. Shane Norton and Rese Rose Gates, the names
behind this unique venture, shared some of their
thoughts on architecture and bricklaying over a coffee
in Brisbane’s fashionable West End.
Shane and Rese could easily be the poster pinups for
bricklaying.They are a thoughtful, creative, philosophical
people, each bringing their distinct skills to the partnership.
“I will never have an adequate hand span to bed bricks
the way Shane does,” Rese acknowledges but adds that
she has an artist’s eye. She is the organiser and listener,
often able to pick up on nuances in a client’s brief that
Shane may overlook. However Shane, a true craftsman,
is precise and treats the material with utmost respect.
Shane Norton grew up in Brisbane and went into a
bricklaying apprenticeship when he left school at age 15.
He credits the Italian, Spanish and English bricklayers from
whom he learned his trade as providing a diverse and
solid starting point for crafting his skills. Immediately after
finishing his trade, he started a contracting business with
a Danish bricklayer who shared his passion for precision.
A Brisbane-based bricklaying partnership is
opening architects’ eyes to the potential of brickwork.
Eve Castle
caught up with the creative couple
behind Elvis & Rose.
