This is an interesting question: Is brick a green building material? It just doesn't seem like it should be.
Brick conjures up images of the most traditional of traditionally built homes; homes that were designed and built long before we started worrying too much about what our construction practices were doing to the earth.
But that's just what Philip Proefrock is discussing over at Green Options. Brick, he says, is green. And he makes a good argument. It's made of clay and water and, if you buy it locally, the excessive energy that might be used in shipping such a heavy product is mitigated.
Philip's post got us thinking: What other unlikely, commonly used building materials might we consider green?
Concrete can be green, especially if much of the cement is replaced with fly ash (a topic we discuss in our guide to Episode Two). And, certain types (read: FSC-certified) of wood are considered green.
Any other materials we aren't thinking of?
Image via Lynne Lancaster; sxc.hu
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FSC Wood
FSC is a great standard. I always go FSC. =) Lewis Lumber in PA is a great source of it on the East Coast.
Adobe!
There's my all-time favorite-- Adobe, also a kind of brick used around the world and in my home state of New Mexico, for centuries. It's got excellent thermal qualities and is made with local organic materials. Yet another reminder that until recent decades, almost every building material had strong green attributes!
Following are some abstracts from Wikipedia
Composition of adobe
An adobe brick is made of clay mixed with water and an organic material such as straw or animal dung. The soil composition typically contains clay and sand. Straw is useful in binding the brick together and allowing the brick to dry evenly. The mixture is roughly half sand (50%), one-third clay (35%), and one-sixth straw (15%).
Adobe bricks
Bricks are made in an open frame; 25 cm (10 inches) by 36 cm (14 inches) is a reasonable size, but any convenient size is acceptable. The mixture is molded by the frame, and then the frame is removed quickly. After drying a few hours, the bricks are turned on edge to finish drying. Slow drying (shaded) avoids cracking. The same mixture to make bricks, less the straw, is used for mortar and often for plaster on interior and exterior walls. Some ancient cultures used lime-based cement for the plaster to protect against rain damage. The brick’s thickness is preferred partially due to its thermal capabilities (that is, adobe’s capacity to retain heat and cool temperature), and partially due to the stability of a thicker brick versus a more standard size brick.
Oh. I forgot the end question
How about glass? We're uncovering Greek & Roman glass, -two thousand + years old.
Just a passing thought..
Spuds.
Green brick, or Gold brick?
Yeah, brick can be green. Recycled, comes first. It's been aged and cured. A real plus.
"Green" bricks, are not new. Has a lot to do with how their made, and fired. Common mass produced bricks simply are not the same bricks produced one hundred years ago.
Doubt what I say is fact. Put one of each in either hand. Then tell me there's not a difference?
The embodied energy to manufacture a brick is significant. But in comparision, production of hydrated lime for concrete or mortar production is far more. Forgetting about, transportation costs, post production..
I side with Kevin. Use, and re-use. -As he spoke about lumber. Bricks, are no different. Reclaim embodied energy, whatever the material. The "old" bricks are, the gold bricks.. Better, heavier and denser. -Plus cheaper..
Mark
aka: Spuds
Steel
From a recycling standpoint, steel can be a good choice. The USGBC will allow a 25% content default on any steel used on a LEED project because recycled steel is so common. Much of today's steel, though, can be as much as 90% recycled. It's is also recyclable at the end of it's building life.
Can it be non-green? If you have to ship it thousands of miles, maybe another product is more appropriate. But, in the eyes of recyclability, it's a strong contender.
Ellen Leroy-Reed
Breaking Ground Contracting Company
www.sustainabuild.net
Steel (vs Wood)
Well said Ellen. Steel has been a bit of a headscratcher for us and drives home the notion that there are no black and white answers, and also that there are a lot of variables in deciding what is "best" for a specific project. Here are a few discussions that we've seen on our site. Kevin used steel as the frame for his house, though I think he's concluded that he'd use wood instead next time.
Ask Kevin: Steel vs. wood
Are there green benefits to framing with steel as opposed to wood?
Why did you build with steel when there are greener alternatives?