The Answer to Climate Change: Brick as a Building Material

From heatwaves to storms: extreme weather events are increasing everywhere, making it essential to adapt to climate change with climate-resilient building solutions. In this mission, one natural building material has proven its worth: the brick. Insights into the wall segment show how wienerberger is getting buildings climate fit.

According to the current Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC extreme weather conditions such as heat waves or torrential rain and even flooding will become more frequent and more intense as a result of climate change. Given its negative impact on people and the environment, it is therefore essential that we adapt to long-term climate change.

One solution is the building material brick. From keeping rooms cool in summer and warm in winter to protecting them from damp: this versatile material combines a wide range of advantages. “When it comes to the challenges of climate change, our solutions are already performing very well. Brick buildings are naturally climate resilient. Moreover, with a lifespan in excess of 100 years, and high thermal insulation values combined with excellent thermal storage capacity, wall systems made of clay reduce the overall impact buildings have on the environment,” says Andreas Jäger, Head of International Product Management Wall at wienerberger. 

The exterior and interior walls of buildings made of brick help to keep temperature and humidity within an acceptable range, protecting interiors from extreme heat or cold. “A combination of smart planning and the appropriate building materials produces a pleasant indoor climate – even without active climate control by means of air conditioning systems or other building technologies,” says Andreas Jäger.

Stable solid brick buildings have an especially high thermal mass (heat storage capacity) which ensures a pleasant ambient temperature. Combined with low thermal conductivity these factors significantly reduce energy consumption. In summer, after a building has been ventilated with cool night air, the brickwork is cold and heats up again only slowly. As a result, the room temperatures only increase slightly as the day progresses. In winter, on the other hand, the heat remains stored in the walls during short bursts of ventilation.

Solid brick buildings withstand environmental impacts and events such as strong wind or flooding. “Even if the building material has been soaked through, it will still have the same performance once it has dried out. This is because bricks retain their advantageous characteristics even after floods and so no damage is left behind,” says Andreas Jäger.

Monolithic exterior walls hold out a great deal of promise for modern buildings. This stable type of brickwork with its high compressive strength consists of only one building material plus plaster and mortar. “For monolithic buildings, we use vertically perforated bricks either with or without integrated insulation. These solutions impress professionals with their excellent thermal insulation properties which means there is no need for additional external insulation. In addition, they can be clinkered with brick slips“, says Andreas Jäger. Thanks to the impressive climate resilience of bricks, a solid monolithic wall construction is not susceptible to damage and requires very little in the way of maintenance, renovation and refurbishment. In combination with high thermal storage capacity and excellent insulation values, this boosts resource and energy efficiency over the entire lifecycle.

The global warming potential of construction materials plays a decisive role in warming the Earth. “We compared complete wall systems with similar properties over 100 years, as it is always important to consider the entire lifecycle – from production to recycling and reuse”, says Andreas Jäger. “In comparison with other mineral-based building materials, our monolithic brick walls come out ahead in terms of the lowest carbon impact. We are currently engaged in research and development projects to further improve our products which will enable us to offer carbon neutral bricks in future.”

The habitats of endangered animal and plant species must also be protected. Fortunately, the production of bricks does not require a great deal of land. According to Andreas Jäger, “With a long service life and high recyclability, plus our ambitious ESG targets, brick is the building material of the future.” More information on decarbonization can be found here: Brick as a Chance for the Climate.

In a nutshell: Bricks are climate resilient by nature. Thanks to its properties – combined with innovative solutions – this tried-and-tested building material has huge potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, wienerberger is constantly working to make building with bricks even more energy and resource efficient.