B R I C K R E V I S I T E D

justhowGREEN

is it?

GOOD QUESTION“Green” is the idea that the environmentaldecisions we maketoday will resonate for years to come.Also known as “greenarchitecture,” “high-performance building”and “sustainabledesign,” it expands the focus beyond thebuilding itself, takinginto account the long-term impact it willhave on the environ-ment, the economy,and human health.The concept of “green”has been around fordecades. Early greendesign often focused on energy efficiency or used recycled mate-rials to promote clean air, water, and soil.

However, as environ-mental awareness hasincreased, architects and designers arebroadening theirvision into what is bet-ter described as sus-tainable design.

It’s a fast-growingmovement amongdesign and constructionindustry professionalswho recognize their role in preserving theintegrity of our planet’sprecious resources.

As sustainable designcontinues to gain preva-lence, the definition of“green” will continue toexpand and evolve.More than a trend,sustainable design isbecoming the future of architecture.

Increasingly, clients aredemanding efficient,long lasting design that enhances both thequality of life for theircommunities as well as their bottom line.Various organizations,institutions, and gov-ernment bodies areaggressively creatingguidelines and criteriato assess the sustain-ability of buildings and the materials thatcomprise them.

While some stan-dards have already been established,“getting green”requires architects,building professionals,and owners to educate themselvesabout the environ-mental-friendliness of building products in order to make responsible choices.

That’s why we’ve brought you this information about brick.

What actually constitutes “green”?

The U.S. Green Building Council defines

“sustainable design” as the practices of

design and construction that significant-

ly reduce or eliminate the negative

impact of buildings on the environment

and occupants in five broad categories:

1. Sustainable site planning

2. Safeguarding water & water efficiency

3. Energy efficiency & renewable energy

4. Conservation of materials & resources

5. Indoor environmental quality

exactly

WHY REVISIT BRICK?

It’s a material you’ve long known, specified and used successfully.You know its design flexibility, durability, and low maintenance, and how its endless array of colors, shapes, textures,and sizes set the standardfor beauty. What you may not know is that it’s a natural for today’s new emphasis on sus-tainable design.

Its unsurpassed life cycle, exceptional energyefficiency, natural ingre-dients, minimal waste,and countless recyclingoptions are just a few of the properties that makebrick the superb sustain-able material it has been for thousands of years.

what is “GREEN”?

BRICK IS EVERYWHEREYou’ve known, andprobably lived with itall your life. Made ofthe most abundantmaterials on the planet,clay and shale, it is “ofthe earth” in the mostbasic way.

Care is taken to locatemanufacturing nearthese natural materials,so as to minimize energyconsumption in trans-porting them. The clayand shale are harvestedfrom the earth’s sur-face by a process thathas minimal long-termenvironmental effecton the land.

Brick manufacturers take pride in meeting or exceeding the feder-al requirements whichgovern this process,including an aggressivereclamation programthat converts allinvolved land to a

desirable natural con-dition, such as lakes and natural preserves.In fact, numerous manu-facturers have been recognized for theirefforts in such landenhancement. Theharvested materialsare blended, with littleor no refinement, andthen extruded or castinto the desired shapes.Next, they’re slowly conveyed through a kiln at about 2000OF

which transforms the raw material into per-manent modular units.Sometimes recycledand industrial wasteaggregates, such as flyand incinerator ash andwaste glass, are mixedwith the clay and shale.In all cases, the high firing temperatures usedin the manufacturing

process render thebricks environmentallysafe and user-friendly.Throughout this process,there is virtually nowaste – virtually all of the mined clay isused in the manufac-turing process.

Checklist for Selecting Materials*Building professionals should consider the following characteristics of materialswhen planning sustainable design projects – Products which:1. Are made from environmentally

attractive materials2. Are “green” because of what isn’t there3. Reduce environmental impact during

manufacture, distribution, construction,renovation and demolition

4. Reduce the environmental impact of building operation and maintenance.

5. Contribute to a safe, healthy indoor environment

* GreenSpec Criteria, Building Green, Inc.

simply of the EARTH

Emissions throughoutthis process are regulat-ed (as they are for mostindustrial processes) bythe Clean Air Act, withmodern brick plantsstrictly adhering to theestablished standardsto assure air quality.

After cooling, brick isstacked and placed instock, or shipped to asite for immediate use.Because brick is pro-duced worldwide andin 38 of the 50 states in the US, it is truly aregionally availablematerial. Shippingactually averages nomore than 175 miles.

Brick’s small size andefficient modularityallows it to be put inplace with almost nowaste. Even its minimalpackaging, plasticstraps and woodenpallets, is easily reusedor recycled.

Such recycling andwaste containment,which minimizes themining of gravel asaggregate and divertswaste materials fromlandfills, are benefitsunequalled by any otherbuilding material.

WE SHOULD ALL LOOKSO GOOD AT A HUNDRED

Brick has an amazinglife cycle, conservativelyestimated at one hun-dred years, yet it’s hardto ignore older exam-ples of its longevity,such as the Great Walland the Roman aque-ducts. It ages beautifully,and requires almost nomaintenance. Critics,who understandablymay attempt to divertyour attention else-where, tend to focuson the amount of heatenergy used to makebrick without puttingit in the context of itslong life.

Consider this:The actual “embodiedenergy” of brick (theenergy required to mine, manufacture and transport it), isapproximately 4000BTU’s per pound or14000 BTU’s per stan-dard brick. Accordingto the AIA Environ-mental Resource Guide,that’s less than concrete,glass, steel, aluminumor even wood! And it’sfar below the embod-ied energy of EIFS andfiber-cement products.

A recent study conduct-ed by the National BrickResearch Center demon-strates these results.[see chart on overleaf]

Whether the building in which it’s originallyused sees its hundredthbirthday or not, the lifeof the brick can go on –in another building assalvaged brick (with allits charms and benefi-cial qualities intact),crushed and used as aroadway sub-base mate-rial, or chipped into apermanent landscapingmulch (a great vantagefrom which to watch itsnext generation carryon its time-honoredand valued tradition).

And, in the rare eventthat it ever finds its wayinto a landfill, because it’s simply “earth” it’sinert, so it requires nospecial handling. So,“earth to earth,”and all that. PRESENTa PRESENT for the futurefor the future

The Benefits of Building Green*ENVIRONMENTALBuilding green reduces the impact of natural resource consumptionECONOMICIt improves the bottom line in terms ofbuilding operation, asset value, workerproductivity, and can bring favorable zoning ordinances and tax benefitsHEALTH & SAFETYIt enhances occupants’ comfort & healthCOMMUNITYIt minimizes the strain on local infrastruc-tures by lessening demand for landfills,water supply, storm water management,and transportation of materials

* US Green Building Council

Life Cycle InsightsThe following chart pro-vides a cradle-to-graveassessment of all energyconsumption & pollutiongenerated in manufactur-ing a unit area (squarefoot) distributed over thewarranted life of theproduct. The warrantedlife was chosen, whenavailable, as the bestindicator of the poten-tial performance of the product.

Thus, unlike the BREProfiles, the envelopematerial was assessedbased on its warranted life rather than an average building life.The end product of theassessments was the kilowatt hours consumed,the pounds of pollution,and the landfill/depletionweight per unit area ofcladding on a per year of service life basis.

HARAPPA BRICK

Fired brick fromHarappa, the capitalcity of Indus valley,Harappan culture (now part of Pakistan)circa 2500 BC

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Brick construction dating back as far as300 BC

JERICHO BRICK

From a pre-potteryNeolithic settlementdiscovered beneaththe biblical city ofJericho. Carbon 14tests at the site indicate it is 9,000-10,000 years old.

Cladding/Life Cycle Analysis

Basic Data Brick Block Fiber Vinyl EIFSMasonry Masonry Cement Siding

Warranty 100 years 50 years 50 years 50 years 5 yearsWeight/ft2 35.5 lb. 42.8 lb. 2.3 lb. 0.5 lb. 1.24 lb.

Energy, Recycling: Recycling: Recycling: Recycling: Recycling:Mining & Brick 100% 80% 0%1 80%2 0%1

Manufacturing Mortar 40%Recycling Energy: Energy: Energy: Energy: Energy:& Energy 0.252 0.228 0.328 0.210 5.48kWh/ft2/yr

Pollution 0.011 0.005 0.026 0.001 0.023 Water & airemissionslb/ft2/yr

Distribution 175 miles 100 miles 365 Miles 310 miles 300 milesEnergy 0.004 0.004 0.146 0.001 0.1893

Avg/Distance,Miles &Net EnergykWh/ft2/yr

Waste & 0.108 0.203 0.048 0.4604 0.828Depletionlb/ft2/yr

TOTA L SEnergy 0.256 0.232 0.474 0.211 5.669Pollution 0.011 0.005 0.026 0.001 0.023Waste & 0.108 0.203 0.048 0.460 0.828Depletion

Research data generated by the National Brick Research Center, Clemson University1 No proven method available2 Used the maximum allowed in this analysis (80%). According to the Vinyl Siding Institute,

100% of vinyl siding is recyclable. Some environmental groups claim recycling of vinyl siding results in dioxin emissions.

3 Low weight per truckload influenced results4 Depletion of salt in processing PVC influenced results

ORTABLE choice

As you might imagine, brick has always been people-friendly.It has virtually no emissions and it’s 100% safe. Add to that it’sfireproof, and water and insect resistant. It’s virtually imperviousto the ravages of time and weather, and it’s a natural insulator.Its ability to absorb and release thermal energy over an extendedperiod makes it an ideal choice for reducing peak energy loads.This “thermal lag” also makes it a particularly attractive materialfor use in conjunction with passive solar construction.

In the 1980’s,“sick inside” took on a new mean-ing. That’s when we became painfully aware thatsome new construction was filled with potentiallyhazardous materials and unhealthy emissions.Since then, there has been an aggressive effort to eliminate these risks. Today, this vital concernhas naturally become a measure of a building’s“green” success, since environmentally-sensitivenew construction misses the point if it isn’t a safeand healthy environment for the people within it.

Hey, you may not be able to snuggle up tobrick, but you almost wish you could. In the built environment, it’s a breath of fresh air.

a COMF

go for the GREEN

TAKE THE LEEDAs the environmentalconsciousness of clientsand society grows,building professionalswill increasingly be asked to create projectsthat incorporate greendesign principles.

One of the first stepstoward building environ-mentally sensitive structures is to select the best materials for the job-at-hand.

You’ve chosen brick for its beauty, design flexibility, durability and overall value.

Now you can confidently choose it to help you achieve environmentally friendly, sustainable,LEEDTM certified projects.

Here are just a few areas where brick can contribute to a project being awarded a LEEDTM certification

CATEGORY: ENERGY & ATMOSPHERE

Credit 1. Optimize Energy Performance (2-10 points)Brick is an energy-efficient material with insulating value and high thermal mass. It can also be used in passive solar construction by utilizing its thermal lag to reduce peak energy loads.

CATEGORY: MATERIALS & RESOURCES

Credit 2. Construction Waste Management (1-2 points)Brick’s small unit size helps divert waste from landfills, and salvaged brick can be used in road construc-tion or other buildings.

Credit 3. Resource Reuse (1-2 points)Brick and other masonry are among the most commonly salvaged build-ing materials.

Credit 4. Recycled Content(1-2 points)Numerous manufacturers make brick that incorporates recycled or industrial waste aggregates that are rendered harmless when the brick is fired.

Credit 5. Local/Regional Materials (1-2 points)The raw materials of brick, clay and shale, are abundant and always nearby,making brick available regionally,efficient to transport and distribute.

LEEDTM is a self-assessing system for rating “whole building” environ-mental performance from a life-cycle perspective, and provides standards for what constitutes a “green” building.

It is based on accepted energy and environmental practices, and is built around a point system,with specific points available in six distinct categories:

C AT E G O RY P O I N T S

Sustainable Site 14Water Efficiency 5Energy & Atmosphere 17Materials & Resources 13Indoor Environmental Quality 15Innovation 5Total Possible Points 69

In addition, there are four levels of LEEDTM building certification:C AT E G O RY P O I N T S

Certified 26-32Silver 33-38Gold 39-51Platinum 52-69

an ONGOING commitment

Over the years, the brickindustry has taken numer-ous positive steps toensure that it respectsand protects our environ-ment. For instance, over90% of all brick manu-facturers are aggressivelyreclaiming and enhanc-ing the land from which

clay and shale havebeen harvested. Over90% use dust controland collection equip-ment. About 80% reusetheir own fired wastematerial or convert itinto other products,and almost half useprocessed or recycled

waste materials in brickproduction. Numerousbrick companies havereceived both state andnational recognition foroutstanding accomplish-ments in safeguardingthe environment. Andmore improvements are in the works.

The brick industry funds and supports aNational ResearchCenter that continuallyseeks ways to improvethe efficiencies of themanufacturing processto reduce impacts onthe environment.

LeftEtowah Valley Country Club & Golf Lodge is an excellentexample of areclaimed clay and shale har-vesting site.

Like anything madefrom natural materials,there is an ongoing,delicate balancebetween the earth itself and that which is harvestedfrom it.

Brick is no exception.In fact, it is an exceptional example.

Now, more than ever,building professionalswill be expected to incor-porate “green” conceptsthat satisfy or exceedguidelines established bylocal, state and federalgovernments, agencies,and institutions. The brickindustry is committed tosupporting this move-ment by adhering to thefollowing Brick IndustryEnvironmental PolicyStatement:

The brick industry recognizes that the stewardship of our planetlies in the hands of our generation.Our goal is to continually seek outinnovative, environmentally friendlyopportunities in the manufacturingprocess and for the end use of claybrick products.

As demonstrated over time, we are committed to manufacturingproducts that provide exceptionalenergy efficiency, durability, recycla-bility and low maintenance with aminimal impact on the environmentfrom which they originate. We assurethat our facilities meet or exceedstate and federal environmental regulations, and we will continue topartner with building professionalsto help them in using our productsto create environmentally responsibleliving and working spaces for today’sand future generations.

G O W I T H B R I C K

Brochure

hixson design

Primary photography

Rick Hovis

All rights reserved

If possible, please

pass this brochure

along to an interested

colleague.

The cover contains no less

than 30% post-consumer fiber,

and the text contains no less

than 10% post-consumer fiber

and is elemental chlorine free.

Copyright 2003

Brick Association of the Carolinas

and

Brick Industry Association

This information isbrought to you by:Brick Industry Association11490 Commerce Park DriveReston, VA 20191

703.620.0010

www.gobrick.com

I T ’ S G R E E NI T ’ S G R E E N

It’s world-wide and history-long.Natural & abundant.It’s amazingly recyclable, with anincredible life cycle.Low-maintenance.Environmentallyresponsible. With proven durability.Near zero waste.Truly green.

Brick.It’s the basic building material we can all live with.Again and again.

C H E C K T H I S O U T