Hello Sir, For an apartment building, mold shall not be much of an issue. If it is done properly and the gaps are closed then even insects/cockroaches are not a problem in the brick walls. In fact they become more beautiful after some weathering and exposure. The man-made alternatives to actual brick finish are, brick tiles, brick wall papers, brick design laminates and MDF sheet. They are a close replica but personally we prefer actual bricks for the exteriors. Thanks, Nitin Cornerstone Designs Bangalore

Ardhendu, What are the walls made of ? You may not need plastering for this wall if it is made of red bricks. Else there are multiple ways to achieve the look. Brick tiles, plaster compound are the most prevalent ones. Thanks Nitin CORNERSTONE DESIGNS , Bangalore

Exposed colorful conduit is  or a fine groove cut to size and then covered up with bricks as also an option.

These are authentic bricks in the construct. You can buy brick cladding from almost any tiles shop or use brick texture, but let me give you a headsup, they wont come anywhere close to original bricks, unless you go for a high end one