The result of all that research and development is a premium-quality brick, the K-Briq, made from over 90% construction and demolition waste. Thousands of bricks were tested to fully understand their properties, performance and durability in detail. These materials were used as feedstock to produce the K-Briq. Working with the waste handling facility, concrete, rubble, old bricks, and plasterboard were separated, washed, and crushed down into manageable fractions. In 2011, development of the first K-Briqs began. We started at the end of the lifecycle of construction, examining the landfill created by the industry and exploring how these precious materials could be given a new lease of life. We also examined the Building Standard requirements – all without either firing or adding cement. We set out to produce a strong brick that could respond well in extreme weather, such as freeze-thaw cycles, is fire resistant and has excellent insulation properties. Perhaps our biggest challenge was to develop a material that could offer the same or even better performance than traditional fired clay or concrete bricks. Ten years of research and development then followed to examine this challenge in detail, working out of the laboratories of Heriot-Watt University and onsite at a local waste handling facility. In turn, the process generates both carbon monoxide and sulphur oxides, and the fine dust created during production adds a further layer of pollution to our air.Ĭoncrete bricks are equally damaging, requiring the use of cement, one of the largest contributors of carbon emissions. In clay brick firing, fossil fuels are burned so kilns can reach temperatures up to 1,300 degrees Celsius. It requires an incredible amount of energy to produce a single brick. Reclaimed bricks are used to help renovate historic buildings or for other specialised projects but for mass construction, the process is too costly. Once removed from old structures they need to be cleaned of mortar with hammers and chisels.
Simply re-using old bricks is not the answer. Working with a team of engineers, architects, chemists, designers, and geologists, we questioned whether some of this waste could be productively re-used, and this proved to be the catalyst for change.
It was this troubling trend that ultimately led to the creation of the K-Briq. Globally, the construction industry contributes 39% of all CO2 emissions 1. In the UK alone, more than a third of waste comes from construction and demolition yet materials continue to be extracted to meet the demand for over 2.6 billion bricks a year. Waste is a major problem for the construction industry. He understood that just because something had been used before, it didn’t mean it couldn’t be used very effectively again. One of Gaudi’s many design innovations is called trencadís, the use of waste ceramic pieces to create elaborate and stunning mosaics. This innovative building material has been developed with the goal of, among other things, minimizing brick waste while supporting green building design.īy Professor Gabriela Medero, Co-founder of Kenoteq and Professor of Geotechnical and Geo-environmental Engineering at Heriot-Watt University Gabriela Medero lab photo – photo credit Heriot Watt University The Importance of Minimizing Brick WasteĪnyone who has been lucky enough to visit Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Mila in Barcelona knows that a love of conscientious design and construction practices are not mutually exclusive.
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