Masonry Magazine February 2012 Page. 35
Today, most brickwork in the United States is installed as a drainage wall with an anchored veneer in front of a structural backing. In a drainage wall, the brick veneer provides the majority of protection against moisture. Any small amount of water penetrating the veneer is directed downward by an air space to the flashing below and out of the veneer through weeps. A water-resistive barrier over the surface of the structural backing keeps moisture out of the substrate.
Life Cycle Assessment
ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PRODUCTS can be identified through a life cycle assessment (LCA). An LCA is a detailed investigation of the environmental impact of a product through its entire life. Conducting a life cycle assessment of every material in the building envelope is one way to assess the impact of the use of various masonry materials and details. An LCA can be complicated, since it examines numerous environmental effects during the entire life of a building product, from raw material extraction to manufacture, installation, maintenance and building demolition.
An LCA is unique for each product, though data on industry averages is available. To accurately assess a building's environmental impact, an LCA must be done for every product used in the building. A large amount of data must be collected and assessed, often with the assistance of an LCA consultant. Some computer programs are available using industry average data to perform life cycle assessment such as the ATHENA Impact Estimator for Buildings or the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainablity software available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. However, these programs should not be used without a thorough understanding of their limitations.
Life cycle assessment should consider the efficiency of raw material use.
Many manufacturers are creating brick veneer units that are lighter, thinner or both. Such units use fewer raw materials, thus conserving resources and taking less energy to fire, and they are lighter in weight, resulting in lower transportation costs. Life cycle assessment also should consider the efficiency of the design and materials selected. By using modular bricks in the floor plan and elevations, on-site waste can be minimized. By using brick masonry to serve multiple functions such as interior finish, firewall and acoustic isolation, the use of other materials can be avoided.
Recycled content
BRICKS CAN CONTAIN recycled content - both post-consumer and pre-consumer.
Non-hazardous waste products such as petroleum-contaminated soil or sludge can be used. Recycled waste from other industries, such as bottom ash and fly ash from coal-fired generators, glass, stone dust and ceramic tile may be incorporated. Reclaimed industrial metallic oxides qualify as pre-consumer recycled materials when used as colorants in bricks. Since fired bricks are inert, bricks can safely encapsulate many materials. When bricks are
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