Brick Buildings for Sustainable Living Costs

Brick Buildings for Sustainable Living: Durability, Energy Savings and Long-Term Value

Brick has helped build homes, schools and commercial buildings for generations. However, its value goes far beyond appearance.

Today, builders and homeowners increasingly look at the full environmental impact of building materials. That means energy use, durability, maintenance, waste and embodied carbon all matter.

Brick can perform well in several of those areas. However, sustainable construction requires looking at the complete life cycle of the material rather than simply calling any material “green.”

Brick Buildings Can Last for Generations

First, durability matters.

A building material that lasts for decades may reduce the need for replacement materials, repairs and major renovations. Therefore, longer-lasting construction can reduce waste and additional resource consumption over time.

Brick also handles weather, moisture and everyday wear extremely well when builders install it correctly.

In addition, brick does not rot like some materials. Termites do not eat it. Meanwhile, brick exterior walls generally require little painting or finishing.

Consequently, homeowners can reduce some long-term maintenance costs.

That durability remains one of brick’s biggest sustainability advantages.

Thermal Mass Can Help Control Indoor Temperatures

Brick also provides significant thermal mass.

In simple terms, brick can absorb heat and release it slowly.

For example, during the day, a brick wall may absorb heat from sunlight or surrounding air. Then, as temperatures fall, the material gradually releases some of that stored heat.

The U.S. Department of Energy notes that thermal mass can reduce temperature fluctuations and improve indoor comfort under the right building conditions.

Therefore, designers can use brick strategically as part of passive solar and energy-efficient building designs.

However, thermal mass alone does not automatically make a home energy efficient.

Insulation, windows, air sealing, orientation, HVAC efficiency and local climate still play major roles.

In other words, brick works best as one piece of a complete energy-smart building system.

Brick and Passive Solar Design

Interior brick can also support passive solar strategies.

For example, sunlight entering through properly positioned windows can warm brick flooring or interior masonry walls. Those surfaces can then store some of the solar energy.

Later, they slowly release that heat.

As a result, properly designed buildings can moderate indoor temperature swings.

Moreover, homeowners may reduce the amount of work required from heating and cooling systems during certain conditions.

That can translate into greater comfort and potentially lower energy use.

Reusing Brick Reduces Construction Waste

Reclaimed brick offers another environmental advantage.

Instead of sending usable bricks to a landfill, builders can sometimes recover, clean and reuse them.

That approach keeps existing materials in circulation.

Additionally, reuse can reduce demand for newly manufactured construction products.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency encourages the reuse and recycling of construction and demolition materials as part of broader efforts to conserve resources and reduce waste.

Reclaimed brick can also add character.

Older bricks often provide colors, textures and visual details that new materials cannot easily duplicate.

Therefore, reuse can combine sustainability with design.

Brick Still Has Embodied Carbon

However, brick is not environmentally impact-free.

Manufacturers must extract clay, shape the bricks and fire them at high temperatures. Transportation also requires energy.

Those activities create embodied carbon.

Embodied carbon includes greenhouse gas emissions associated with extracting raw materials, manufacturing products, transporting them, installing them and eventually handling them at the end of their useful lives.

Therefore, builders should consider where brick comes from and how manufacturers produce it.

Buying locally produced materials may reduce transportation impacts. Likewise, manufacturers that improve kiln efficiency, switch to cleaner fuels, incorporate recycled materials or use renewable energy can reduce production emissions.

This is why life-cycle analysis has become increasingly important in sustainable construction.

Local Materials Can Reduce Transportation Impacts

Transportation matters too.

Heavy construction materials can require substantial energy to move over long distances.

Therefore, sourcing brick from regional manufacturers can make sense both environmentally and economically.

Local sourcing may reduce transportation distances. In addition, it can support regional manufacturers and construction jobs.

However, distance alone should not determine whether a product is sustainable.

Builders should also examine manufacturing efficiency, durability, recycled content and environmental product declarations when available.

The goal should be to evaluate the entire product rather than one environmental attribute.

Permeable Brick Can Help Manage Stormwater

Brick does not have to stay on the walls.

Permeable brick and paving systems can also play a role outside the building.

For example, properly designed permeable paving allows rainwater to move through gaps and into an engineered base underneath.

Consequently, these systems can help reduce stormwater runoff.

They can also reduce puddling and place less pressure on conventional drainage infrastructure.

Likewise, lighter-colored paving materials may absorb less solar heat than darker surfaces.

Therefore, thoughtful landscaping can contribute to a broader sustainable property strategy.

Brick Can Reduce the Need for Additional Finishes

Exposed brick surfaces may also eliminate some finishing materials.

For example, an interior brick wall may not require drywall, paint or decorative wall coverings in certain designs.

Similarly, brick exterior walls generally do not require regular repainting.

Consequently, owners may use fewer coatings and replacement materials throughout the building’s life.

That can reduce maintenance as well as material consumption.

Sustainable Building Requires a Life-Cycle Approach

No single material creates a green building.

Instead, sustainability comes from combining smart design, efficient construction, durable materials and efficient building systems.

The U.S. Department of Energy increasingly emphasizes reducing both operational carbon and embodied carbon in new construction.

That distinction matters.

Operational carbon comes largely from the energy needed to run a building. Meanwhile, embodied carbon comes from constructing it and producing its materials.

Therefore, today’s sustainable building strategy needs to address both.

The Bottom Line on Sustainable Brick Buildings

Brick remains a compelling building material because it combines durability, thermal mass, low maintenance and design flexibility.

Moreover, reclaimed brick and thoughtful local sourcing can further reduce environmental impacts.

However, sustainable construction should never depend on one material alone.

Builders must consider insulation, air sealing, efficient HVAC systems, renewable energy, water management and the embodied carbon of every major construction material.

Still, brick has one sustainability characteristic that is difficult to ignore: it can last a very long time.

And in green building, longevity matters.

A building that performs efficiently, requires fewer replacements and remains useful for generations can reduce material consumption over its lifetime.

Therefore, the greenest building materials may not simply be the newest ones.

Sometimes, they are the materials that keep doing their job for the next hundred years.

Sources

U.S. Department of Energy — Building Technologies Office
Research on thermal mass, passive building design, life-cycle assessment and embodied carbon in construction.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Resources on reduced-emission construction materials, embodied carbon, material reuse and construction waste reduction.

U.S. Department of Energy — U.S. Life Cycle Inventory Database
Life-cycle data for evaluating the energy, resource and environmental impacts of building materials and construction products.

For more details on what makes brick green, go to www.greenbrick.com. To learn why brick is such an outstanding and versatile building material, go to www.gobrick.com.