Durability: Brick
has existed as a building material for thousands of years. Many of the oldest
existing historic structures in the world were made of brick, such as the Great
Wall of China, Westminster Palace in London, and Independence Hall in
Philadelphia, to name a few. In fact, it is a bit ironic that exposed brick
walls are so popular in urban loft redevelopments, because, in these cases,
brick has even outlasted the original purpose of the building.
If a design team is considering an overall life-cycle strategy
under the Innovation in Design category, then brick becomes a favorable material
to consider. Brick will last for at least 100 years with little maintenance or
repair; it requires no chemical treatments or paint. With its strength and
fire-resistant properties, brick can withstand the harshest conditions.
Energy Efficiency:
According to the Department of Energy, commercial and residential buildings
account for nearly 40 percent of the materials and energy consumption in the United States.
Likewise, nearly 40 percent of the energy use in commercial buildings is
expended on space heating and cooling.
Brick
is an ideal contributor to an energy-efficient design strategy. Brick is a
natural insulator; it absorbs heat and releases it over a period of time. Brick’s
thermal properties are ideal for use in a passive solar design strategy. For
instance, the heat absorbed by a brick during the day helps keep the building
cool and then helps warm the building at night. In addition, because of brick’s
thickness, buildings featuring the material also require less insulation.
The
process of making brick itself is actually energy-efficient as well. The
embodied energy, or the amount of energy required in the entire brick-making
process from mining to manufacturing to distribution, is approximately 4,000
BTUs per pound — less than concrete, glass, steel and aluminum, according to
the AIA Environmental Resources Guide.
Resource Conservation: LEED guidelines
stress conservative materials management throughout a project, emphasizing
recycling and material reuse and promoting good waste management. Throughout
its life cycle, brick exemplifies resource conservation.
Brick
is a natural material, and its ingredients are abundant materials — clay and shale.
Throughout the brick manufacturing
process, there is practically no waste; virtually all of the mined material is
used. Rejected bricks are simply reused as raw material. No chemicals are
needed or used in brick production. In addition, other industrial materials
such as fly ash or slag and even sawdust can be used in brick materials,
allowing project managers to divert waste from landfills.
Because
of its durable nature, brick is a highly reusable material. For instance,
salvaged brick can be used in new buildings, barbecue grills, paving, or
landscaping. It is also recyclable, and can be crushed and recycled for use as
roadway sub-base material, as brick chips for landscaping or as raw material
for new bricks.
Use
of materials extracted and produced within 500 miles of a construction project
is preferred under LEED guidelines and reduces the amount of fuel consumed and
emissions produced from transport of materials. While many of the larger brick
producers are located overseas, a number of domestic manufacturers are also available
to most projects. For instance, Jenkins Brick Co. bricks are produced in
central Alabama from locally-extracted
materials — within 500 miles of most projects in the Southeast
United States.
Pavement
Systems: Several credits in
the LEED standard are dedicated to responsible site design, particularly storm water
management and reduction of the heat island effect. In many traditional
developments, buildings and pavement displace water, rather than let the land
absorb it naturally. Excess storm water runoff can put stress on sewer systems
and can cause chemicals to flow into nearby rivers. Using brick pavers in a
permeable pavement system improves ground infiltration and reduces the amount
of storm water runoff.
Brick can contribute
to lessening the heat island effect as well. Dark surfaces, such as asphalt
roofs and pavement, absorb, rather than reflect, sunlight and in turn raise the
temperature of the air around it. The increased heat worsens air quality by
trapping ground-level ozone pollution. Use
of light-colored brick pavers in walkways can help provide a cooler paving
environment.
Indoor
air quality: Brick also enhances
the indoor environment. Brick is an inert natural product and contains no
hazardous chemicals or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When VOCs are
concentrated indoors, the risk of poor air quality and health problems becomes 10
times greater. Unlike other materials, brick is fire-resistant and does not emit
toxic fumes or smoke when heated to high temperatures. Brick also does not
require painting or other treatments, eliminating the emission of chemicals and
odors in the indoor environment. Brick is also resistant to mold growth.
For flooring
options, designers have the option of brick’s close cousin, ceramic tile. Like
brick, ceramic tile does not contain VOCs, lead or allergens that could
negatively affect air quality. Ceramic tile does not require sealants, waxes or
other finishing chemicals, and also resists mold.
Through improved energy efficiency, use of
recycled and alternative energy resources, durability, use of natural and
recycled products and other green qualities, brick is unrivaled as a sustainable
building material.
For more information on using brick in
sustainable construction practices, visit
www.jenkinsbrick.com.
