Having a sustainable environment is definitely a hot topic these days. As an individual and collectively we can always find ways to make it happen even in the smallest things in our lives.
Having to build a building or a house can be made eco-friendly too through many ways. As for power, the installation of solar panels is always a great idea. Less use of plastic can go a long way in every part of the house and alternatives do stick around for long.
Now the main ingredient in building a foundation is bricks. Now there are many alternatives of it out there that you can use.
But the question is are they really good enough for an alternative? Do they look good? And all these potential questions that you may have before getting into the construction part.
The good news is that bricks are environmentally friendly building materials. They are as old as they come and now you can find some great and sustainable brick options out there.
Can Bricks Have A Negative Environmental Effect?
Just like any other building material, bricks do have some negative impact on the planet.
For example, in many cases, you would see a massive brick firing. This creates emissions and puts carbon dioxide excessively into the air. Now, this happens typically wherever some fuel is burning.
Brick is not just made of clay but it also involves minerals in it. There might be some negative impact on the environment with the mining process in order to extract the minerals.
And even if there is an established mine where the process is much more advanced, there would still be an impact due to machinery and heavy trucks.
Not only the air but the water can also get polluted that runs near the mine area. But despite all of this, there are many ways that bricks are still ruling the construction industry.
Durability
Here are a few reasons that you may want to believe in bricks despite the negative side.
Bricks are durable big time and they are known for their longevity in any construction part. Once a building is done, it’ll stay the same for many years to come.
Brickwork is famously known to endure all types of weather and is very durable and stable. Once your building is up, for many years it won’t need any replacing which consequently reduces the negative impact on the environment. This also generates less waste for the landfills for quite some time.
According to research, brickwork can last for more than 500 years. This certainly covers up some damage done initially.
The only time a brick wall or building would need any maintenance is if there is any fungus or mold. Mostly the maintenance part is the head-scratcher but here it does not take that much time or have any negative impact.
If you have a wooden exterior then that is going to take a while and let’s be honest every wooden exterior requires paint every single year.
Reusable
If a building or a wall has come to a dead-end for some reason, the residual bricks can always be reused. There is actually a huge market out there for reclaimed bricks.
The bricks that have been already used are reused, after removing the mortar, for another building.
Natural Resource
Clay is the natural resource used in the making of a brick and is actually not that hard to get a hold of. It is surface-level soil and it requires pretty non-intensive and really shallow digging to use it.
Before the digging happens a thorough assessment of the ground happens. This is to make sure that the surrounding environment does not get affected during the process.
There is a lot of clay out there on the face of the earth. It is one of the abundant resources unlike any other material sourced from the ground. Other materials require not only intensive digging but also a lot of money and effort to get a hold of them.
So next time you are looking for some clay, it is right there and everywhere.
Increased Eco-consciousness
The firing part of bricks is something that is seriously damaging the environment. But now this biggest environmental polluter process has been made more bearable with natural gases such as fuel.
This naturally means that there is very less usage of fossil fuels now. The firing kilns are more effective and efficient than they used to be back then and it takes less energy to burn more bricks.
Brickwork in general is a pretty sustainable option if you want your building to last longer. With the use of abundant natural resources, bricks can be reused and used at max capacity.
There are always some good building materials out there like wood as an alternative to brick but it does not look good.
If you are up for yearly maintenance then going for wood is not such a bad idea.
When it is about adding to your own home, you need to consider some practical facts. Is the material going to last? Is it affordable? Would it be durable? And is it going to tolerate all the exterior and interior changes?
And with the tech advancement, brick firing is not even a problem anymore. While purchasing this construction material, make sure to check in with the company for sustainable development goals as it would affect the final outcome as well.
Having a sustainable environment can be definitely aligned with having a house made of bricks. You can add different elements to it to enhance the green-friendly experience as that would definitely add to the experience for you and would implement environmental sustainability.
