Efficient building with clay bricks

When is building efficient? An activity is described as efficient when it has been well thought out and is performed “effectively and quickly”. To build that way, you need the right products. In this special on “Efficient building with clay bricks”, we have compiled a selection of products, ideas and technical equipment that meet these requirements. Researching this selection, we have come across many interesting projects in which clay bricks with innovative properties are capturing market shares.

One of our focus topics is the filling of masonry bricks. We spoke to Johannes Edmüller, Managing Director at the German company Schlagmann. Schlagmann was the pioneer in this field, premièring the first perlite-filled masonry brick at the “Bau” trade fair in 2001. What is the situation today, 10 years later? You can read all about this from page 8.

Prefabricated clay brick elements are certainly part of “efficient building”. We profile CRH-Werk Albert, a specialist in the production of prefabricated elements for wall façades. From page 16 we cover everything from the design of the prefabricated elements through their production to architectural application.

Another interesting product hails from the Netherlands: with the ClickBrick, Daas Baksteen has developed a system in which the bricks are connected with each other by means of clips, see from page 24. The facing bricks are stack-built dry, i.e. without mortar or adhesive. Without joints, the wall is a straight brick facade.

New products require innovative manufacturing technologies. In the meantime, several plant engineering companies supply filling systems for clay bricks. An overview of the state of the art is provided by our market survey on the topic of “Filling systems for clay bricks” from page 27.

From the host of examples of efficient building with clay bricks, we were only able to make a small selection. We shall continue to follow this interesting topic, which opens up new opportunities for our products in competition with rival building materials.

Wishing you varied and interesting reading

Yours

Anett Fischer

These two terms could be used to head the reports in ZiJa 2011. In the first part, we present you with detailed and recent research findings concerning the production of clay bricks and roofing tiles:...

Issue 12/2011