Bowens Building + Innovation Expo 2026: Nexbrick™ Live at the Royal Exhibition Building

What a day at the Bowens Building + Innovation Expo 2026. Held on Thursday 3 September at Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building, the expo brought more than 120 exhibitors together under one very good-looking roof, with a single brief: show builders and trades better ways to build.

For Modular Masonry Group, exhibiting with Bowens was a chance to put Nexbrick™ in front of the people who actually put cladding on walls. Thank you to Bowens for inviting us to be part of it.

The 78-second highlight reel takes you from the exhibition floor to the live seminar, with visitors trying the display wall along the way.

Watch the highlight reel: Nexbrick + Bowens | Building Innovation Expo 2026

The stand: real brick you could get your hands on

The stand was built to answer one question quickly: is this real brick? It is. Nexbrick™ starts as a kiln-fired clay brick, cut into a facing and machined to lock into a steel rail. On the stand we had the rail wall with the facings partly installed, so people could slide a brick in, feel it lock, and see the mortar joint the rail sets for you.

Next to it we had samples from a range of brick manufacturers, because Nexbrick™ is not tied to one brand. If a brick can be cut into a facing, we can use it. That was the thing that surprised most visitors: they expected a proprietary range and found they could bring their own brick.

The team was on the tools all afternoon, running mini installs at the stand and talking through the wall buildup with builders, carpenters, designers and suppliers. We also had a YETI prize pack giveaway on the stand, alongside our "Build Smarter. Put Nexbrick to the test." project flyer.

The seminar: a square metre of brick, installed and mortared live

At 6pm we headed upstairs for the Bowens Expo Innovation Seminars program. Our session, Innovative Brick Installation, was a live demonstration rather than a slide deck. Andrew from Bowens hosted, Michael talked through the system, and Takota and Scott installed a full square metre of brick from bare rail to mortared finish while the audience watched. Clock running.

Andrew's brief was blunt and fair. Bowens' customers are mostly builders who are on the tools themselves. So the questions were the ones that matter on site: what do I start with, what length are the rails, can I use any brick, what about corners, can my carpenters do this, and what does it weigh.

The wall got finished, sponged and cleaned before the next seminar was due to start. No acid wash needed.

Watch the full seminar here: Nexbrick Demonstration Seminar | Innovative Brick Installation (Part 3 of 3). Parts one and two are on the same channel: Part 1 and Part 2.

We have also written up the strongest questions and answers from the seminar in Nexbrick™ Live at Bowens: What Builders Asked.

What people asked about

Three themes came up over and over across the day.

• Weight, and what it opens up. Upper-storey extensions, soffits, feature walls and columns that would normally be a no for brick because of footings or load. A lightweight mechanically fixed facing changes that conversation.
• Design freedom. Curves, arches, vertical bond, changes of direction. The rail can be laser-cut and segmented to follow a radius, so brick can go where traditional masonry struggles to.
• Who installs it. Builders wanted to know if their own crews could take on the brick facade rather than handing it to another trade. Yes. It takes a good eye and accurate setout, and we back the first job with training and on-site support.

That last one is exactly why we wanted to be at a Bowens event. The delivery method for brick is changing, and the people in that building are the ones who will deliver it.

Thank you, Bowens

A huge thank you to Bowens for having us, to Andrew for hosting the seminar and asking the questions builders actually want answered, and to everyone who stopped by, had a chat and got hands-on with the system. Thank you also to our own team for the work that went into getting the stand and the live wall ready.

Andrew introduced Modular Masonry Group as Bowens' newest supply partner and explained that rails, accessories and bagged mortar would be supplied through Bowens. He also announced plans for Nexbrick™ displays at the Rethink Building Hub at Bowens Hastings, with hands-on installation days planned. Check with Bowens for current availability and event details.

Missed the expo?

• Watch the highlight reel and the full seminar on our YouTube channel.
• Follow along on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for more from the day.
• Read what Nexbrick™ actually is, and how it works.
• To talk about Nexbrick™ for your next project, contact Modular Masonry Group or explore the Nexbrick™ system.

We can't wait to see what comes next.