Think Brick

BRE's Green Guide A+ rating

The BRE's latest Green Guide to Specification assigned the highest possible accreditation A+ to every external wall it rated that contained brickwork.
The Green Guide to Specification is part of the BRE's Environmental Assessment Method, an accredited environmental rating scheme for buildings.

It examines the impact of brick and other materials used in six generic types of building: commercial, school, healthcare, retail, residential and industrial.

The scoring runs from A+, the best (or having the least environmental impact), down to E, the worst (or having the greatest environmental impact), such as some forms of curtain walling.

The BRE's Green Guide makes clear sustainability is about the total energy consumption of a product - including that used to maintain it, once its part of a building, and the fate of 'end of life' material.

To find out more please visit the BRE Green Guide website.

Competitive Costs

An investigation by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) found that, against a line-up of popular finishes for the external skin,installed brickwork beat just about all of them on price.

The study compared the installed cost per square metre for brickwork against a string of rival external finishes.   It analysed a wide range of data, from major price books to bills of quantities for live projects submitted to them in 2007. The projects, which covered a selection from across the UK, ranged in value from £356,000 to £10.5 million.

the materials that came in for less than brickwork included options with a lower life expectancy or high life cycle costs, such as single fibre cement sheeting and painted render

In its conclusion, the RICS notes: Brick is a competitive option for the external skin. Most of the options that are less expensive in the study fall within the range of available facing bricks.

To find out more please visit the Brick Development Association website.