The New Brick Wall.
For centuries, civilizations around the globe have recognized the quality, strength and longevity of the humble brick, building countless numbers of structures around the world of which many are still standing.
Today, despite being available in many sizes, shapes and colours, the primary materials in brick have been, and still are, clay and cement. In fact, the major difference between bricks today and those used in the Great Wall of China for example, has been the introduction of openings, making today’s brick lighter which enables faster laying and transportation.
Patented in Switzerland in 1924, the aerated autoclaved concrete (AAC) process utilized by ecobrick is a unique manufacturing process that was designed to meet specific needs in the marketplace, which was the necessity to insulate homes against the extreme winter conditions found around Europe.
AAC products are now used in many countries around the world (See www.aacpa.org for the US Association information), and we are pleased to announce that Australia now has the chance to benefit from this unique and cost effective building source.
With the introduction of more stringent energy performance requirements through the Building Code of Australia (BCA), we are now required to nominate the insulating values (and resistance) of all of the products that go into building a new home. These insulating values form the basis of the Star Rating system the BCA uses to determine energy performance of a house. The higher the Star Rating, the less artificial energy is required to keep the internal environment of the house at a comfortable temperature all-year round. (See www.abcb.gov.au)
Houses in Western Australia have traditionally been built with double brick cavity walls. This traditional type of construction means that a home was not only cool in summer, but also cool in winter. With the rethinking of current house designs, the need has become apparent for new designs to incorporate passive solar principals and products that result in improved temperature variations inside the home.
Efficient and environmentally friendly, ecobrick is lightweight (approximately half the weight of a clay fastwall brick), and delivers higher insulating and better acoustic values. When used as an internal wall in conjunction with the traditional clay brick external wall, ecobrick improves the resistance to heat moving through that wall by 57% (See SEDO note – Energy Efficient Housing – Insulation diagram). Culminating in a more efficient wall system, this combination leaves the practical and aesthetic benefits of clay bricks outside, but couples them with the higher insulating values of the ecobrick inside the home.
When ecobrick is used as part of a concerted approach to improving the energy performance of a home higher Star Ratings can be achieved, highlighted by the Impressions Display Home at Ellenbrook. Aptly called the Evergreen, this magnificent home has achieved an impressive 6 Star Rating (See www.ecobrick.com.au for case study notes).
Ecobrick not only improves the thermal efficiency of walls, but improves their acoustic values as well. The aerated part of ecobrick is made up of non-connected air bubbles that do not allow noise to travel across these spaces. As a result, noise bounces off a hard surface, which means that when you use ecobrick inside a room, the background noise will disappear. These air bubbles are also the reason for ecobrick’s higher resistance to heat, in the same way as bulk insulation works in a roof space.
Most construction products require a Fire Rating - a rating system that ensures human occupants have time to leave a building in case of a fire emergency. At present, walls are rated in hours, meaning that they will hold the fire back for the specified length of time before they start to weaken. Through its unique construction, Ecobrick currently delivers an impressive Fire Rating of 4 hours.
Manufactured from sand, lime, cement, water and aluminium paste, ecobrick uses a production line process which sees the bricks being autoclaved to complete the complex chemical bonding of the materials. Minimizing the impact on the environment, this manufacturing process does not use or create any toxic gas or substances, leaving a wall that is chemically stable and non-allergenic. What’s more, when comparing ecobrick production with traditional clay brick production, one ecobrick uses up to 5 times less energy to produce than one clay brick.
Today, recycling has become a part of everyday life. As such, you’ll be pleased to hear that ecobrick is 100% recyclable, and any waste produced during manufacture is collected and progressively recycled back into the bricks. Should a home using ecobrick need to be demolished, the bricks can be broken down and utilized in the recycling process, becoming a part of new bricks.
Much is being said about thermal mass in buildings and current expert opinion suggests that better insulating goes hand-in-hand with the advantages of a building’s thermal mass (See www.yourhome.gov.au - Section 1.7 – Thermal mass). Products like ecobrick are part of the overall solution to building more energy efficient houses and reducing the reliance on fossil fuel generated energy. The challenge for designers is to use these new materials to create comfortable and livable homes.
For more detailed information about aerated autoclaved concrete products, please visit www.yourhome.gov.au – Section 3.4b – Aerated concrete blocks.
