Full brick homes for sustainable living
Full brick homes for sustainable living
According to Brett Ward, Marketing Manager at Brickworks, an associated company of Austral Bricks , a full brick home is the gold standard in housing for both sustainable living and enhanced quality.
Brett Ward says ongoing quantitative research, conducted in partnership with the University of Newcastle, has established the thermal mass provided by bricks is a critical component in energy efficient house design.
“The research shows homes constructed in full brick are able to even out Australia’s temperature fluctuations better than other materials.”
“Brickwork’s high thermal mass ‘irons out’ the temperature variations naturally, to a range more consistent with the ideal family comfort zone,” Brett Ward explained.
The researchers were also able to conclusively show that an insulated cavity brick wall (full brick) is more effective than a similarly insulated lightweight wall at smoothing out temperatures, even on the hottest days.
Ideally positioned on the banks of the Nepean River, near the base of the Blue Mountains, the M4 and the western railway line, the Rushton family live in one of Sydney’s hot suburbs with the ever present threat of bushfires.
“Considering our location and the environmental issues, bricks are ideal for our location as they help insulate the house and even out the very cool and hot temperatures we experience here. They are also a key part of our fire prevention strategy.”
“They will not make the home fire proof, but they are a great start being much more fire resistant than alternative façade materials such as weather board.”
“Our full brick home gives us a feeling of being safe and secure, and there is the added benefit of not worrying as much about pest invasions,” explained Ian Rushton.
Termites are a fact of life all over Australia, especially NSW. Majority of the state receives a high rating on the CSIRO’s Termite Hazard Map. Around one in five Australian houses will suffer from termite damage – an annual bill estimated at $200 million.
Every house has some timber, but the key to reducing the impact of termite damage is to minimise the amount of structural timber.
According to Brett Ward, a full brick house with internal brick walls between rooms, and built on a properly designed concrete slab eliminates structural timbers at the critical ground level.
“It is still necessary to take precautions to protect non structural timber and high level structural timber such as roof trusses.”
“You can sleep soundly in your full brick home because the only chomping you will hear is the kids raiding the fridge.”
“Then again, you won’t hear the kids either because of full bricks’ soundproofing qualities. There’s no way termites will risk their teeth on solid brick walls,” said Brett Ward.
A manual detailing the eight advantages of full brick is available from Austral Bricks display centres.
1-Oct-2008