sustainability
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Black Architecture’s scheme in Poole for Haxted Estates | Lignacite carbon negative masonry block | Laying Wienerberger’s Porotherm blocks | Forticrete Concrete Linear Bricks | Brick making at Hanson’s Mesham works | Variety of Wienerberger products
Heavyweight construction materials such as bricks and blocks have long been a mainstay of the housebuilding industry, with over 84% of houses built of brick. Brick has been part of the palette of British building materials since Roman times and concrete has made much of the modern world possible, so it is maybe not surprising that, according to a survey by the Concrete Block Association and the Modern Masonry Alliance, 93% of people want to live in a brick and block constructed house. Opinions as to the sustainability of these products
are many and varied and often hotly debated. John Sandford, director for sustainability at Wienerberger, thinks it is important to consider the big picture; not just the carbon footprint of the manufacture and the construction processes, but also building performance and durability. “Only by striking a balance between these factors will the most viable and sustainable options begin to emerge.”
John Lambert, general manager at Forticrete, concurs, believing that concrete-based building products have become increasingly popular due to their natural durability, fire resistance, thermal mass and acoustic performance benefits. “When you take into consideration the fact that the materials and their constituents are responsibly sourced, locally where possible, it’s clear to see why design teams are utilising concrete-based building blocks for the delivery of sustainable projects.” Sandford believes that clay has the natural
properties and design versatility to make it a genuinely sustainable option. “Unlike timber, a material widely considered to be sustainable, clay offers a lifespan of at least 150 years with virtually no required maintenance, employing techniques that have been honed by centuries of usage and methodology. Indeed, even when a clay building’s lifespan is up, the brick can still be recycled and reused.”
In its publication, Brick: building a sustainable
resource for the future, the Brick Development Association points to research from Leeds Metropolitan University that has demonstrated that brick structures can have a lifespan of 500 years or more, and well-constructed brickwork can be expected to last many decades before even minor maintenance is required. Indeed, Sofie Pelsmakers, the author of The Environmental Design Pocketbook, points to the fact that bricks have a longer lifespan than any building. “It’s crucial to design for the deconstruction and reuse of bricks, although, at present, only some 6% of demolished bricks are reclaimed. Around 65% of a typical brick wall’s embodied carbon is attributed to the bricks and around 20% to the inner concrete blockwork. This is due to the high firing temperatures of around 500-1000°C used to create bricks.” For reclamation to be successful, one crucial factor has to be considered: the ease with which the bricks
36| January 2014 showhouse
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