If the bricks are deteriorating because of moisture ingress through the surface (due to having been sandblasted in the past), then something has to be done to save them.

If the appearance of the bricks is currently acceptable (i.e. after all the loose material has been removed, perhaps by water jetting or similar), then a consolidant or silane type treatment might work.  So long as there is no source for moisture entry behind the treated surface.

The mortar joints will be more difficult, as will the corners and reveals.

If the building WAS NOT of historic significance, I'd go with a render / stucco finish.  By the way - was the building originally exposed brickwork, or did it have a rendered finish?  Many buildings which were ORIGINALLY rendered had the render removed in the 1960s or 1970s, and the brickwork was gritblasted to get rid of the traces.  So maybe a render or stucco solution might not be so inappropriate.

After all, render or stucco is just another form of protective coating.  Right.  Isn't it?

Just some thoughts as I sit here in my hotel room in Beijing waiting for colleagues to come back from a pearling expedition so we can go out for something to eat.

Cheers

david west

PS  'Pearling' means shopping for pearls in this case.