With all the talk of sustainable building and green products, why is brick always left out of the discussion? It’s easy to get lost among the vast products and materials that dominate our day-to-day lives. But after all, brick is the original, sustainable building material. Archaeologists have found manmade bricks dating back 10,000 years. Mixing together materials taken from the earth with moisture and then drying the shaped forms with fire is still the general formula for producing bricks. The abundance of brick-making materials and the durability of the finished product are as true today as they were thousands of years ago.
Brick provides an energy-efficient envelope for a building that reduces the amount of energy necessary to heat or cool the interior. Because of its durability, brick all but eliminates the need for exterior maintenance and outlasts most exterior cladding products on the market today, avoiding the energy usage, and costs, involved in upkeep and replacement.
To drive this sustainability message, Potomac Valley Brick, with the help of premier sponsor Boral Bricks (an IMRE client), created the first international sustainable architectural design competition: Brick-Stainable. The competition sought innovative solutions for a building using brick as a primary material. The contest was designed for entrants to explore the potential of brick construction in the creation of an energy efficient building and challenged design teams to maximize the physical characteristics of this construction in the creation of integrated design solutions.
The results were astounding. The competition received 95 entries from over 17 countries. The winners were selected by a prestigious panel of jurors, including Carnegie Mellon Architecture Professor Vivian Loftness, University of Maryland School of Architecture Dean and Professor Garth Rockcastle, IDEO Practice Lead and Material Scientist Kara Johnson, and AXIM Director of Marketing Martin Vachon. Winners were from the U.S., Mexico, Cyprus, and Qatar.
We had the opportunity to attend the awards ceremony at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. And a suitable spot for such a ceremony it was. The National Building Museum defines sustainable building. Made with over 15 million bricks, the design of the roof to the ingenious ventilation system creates a continuous flow of fresh air throughout the building. A practical system of windows, vents, and open archways allows the Great Hall to function as a reservoir for light and air. It’s a beautiful building. If you ever have a chance to visit, be sure to take advantage. It’s an easy walk from Union Station.
With more competitions like Brick-Stainable in the future, the dialogue should continue to grow. The brick message is beginning to make its rounds in the sustainability movement. Make brick a foundation of your next sustainable building conversation.
No related posts.
Tags: benefits of brick siding, Boral Bricks, Brick-Stainable, National Building Museum, Potomac Valley Brick, sustainable building