Ecological bricks are a key element in ecological architecture. However, the term groups different types of materials and their benefits can also be very different.
Despite their differences, they will all have in common a series of advantages at the environmental or sustainability level. In this article we are going to make a brief and simple introduction to the subject, which is actually much broader and complex. Keep reading this ecology article see and learn the most important about Ecological bricks: what are, types and advantages.
What are ecological bricks
In general, we associate bricks with a polluting material. That’s right, except for Ecological bricks or echoladrillos. Today, the use of ecological bricks is unusual, although more sustainable construction materials were historically used.
Among others, straw, mud or wood, let’s put. Currently, conventional bricks need a lot of energy for their manufacture with which the environmental impact is important.
Of course, we must recognize that more and more ecological initiatives are trying reinvent or replace traditional bricks using sustainable materials or promoting sustainability with its use that helps us save energy. Or, what is the same, to compensate for the carbon footprint acting as an insulator of the house.
Thus, we will define ecological bricks as those whose manufacturing does not imply an environmental impact as large as that of conventional ones. Both the type of materials used and their manufacturing and functionality process can determine that they are.
Logically, we will find bricks more ecological than others, depending on its level of sustainability in some and another aspects. For the rest, green bricks provide the same or even greater resistance than traditional bricks. Used within an architectural plan of Bioconstruction They can offer us same aesthetic qualities and advantages in terms of comfort and security.
Ecological brick types
These are the main Types of ecological echoladrillos or bricks and its characteristics:
- The coal ashes bricks Invented by Henry Liu in 1999 they are a great way to recycle the ashes generated in coal thermal plants, while taking advantage of their high temperatures for their manufacture.
- A similar version, still in prototype phase, is the Black brick Proposed by a MIT team led by Michael Laracy and Thomas Poinot, who propose to manufacture them from the waste produced by the paper industry in India. Its objective is to achieve an alternative to the traditional red clay brick so that this country does not continue to wear its natural resources, while taking advantage of these waste.
- Also well known are the Hemp and straw bricks or peanut peel. In both cases we obtain very resistant bricks with large insulating properties, which help us save on the heating and air conditioning invoice while taking care of the planet.
- He irregular brick which shows the image that opens the post is an example of a conventional brick, as it is made of clay, which nevertheless provide us with ecological advantages thanks to its insulating capacity. Basically, they are bricks that add up to the geometric shapes of a triangle and a rectangle to stop heat and thus keep the house fresh. Likewise, acoustic isolation is achieved and the facade can remain as is, because its appearance is aesthetic.
- On the other hand, the Earth bricks or compressed sand They are more expensive and fragile than conventional bricks or concrete blocks, but provide much higher insulation. That is, we will need to make a subsequent isolation that will increase the expenditure and carbon footprint.
- At the avant -garde key, the Massachusetts Institute, in collaboration with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, proposes a novel material as light as the Aergel, also called Frozen smoke. It is able to withstand up to 160,000 times its own weight and can occur easily with 3D printing.
- There are also those bricks that do not have a known, widely used inventor thanks to mouth to mouth, and on this Internet has a good part of the merit. This is the case, for example, of Ecoadrillos made with domestic wastelike recycled plastic bricks, ideal to make a wall or a small house. For this we will serve as plastic bottles in which we will introduce sand or other non -organic waste, such as paper, cardboard or plastic bags. The objective is to fill them with materials that provide resistance to bottles. Once achieved, we group them in a mold in which we will turn cement to fill the holes. In this way, when they dry we will get good size bricks, which to be able to use as a block.
The advantages of green or ecological bricks
At this point, it is easy to understand that since ecological bricks include a very wide casuistry, they also have very different advantages. Analyzing each brick is the best way, therefore, to choose the one that best suits our preferences and needs.
In general, however, we can mention some Advantages of ecological bricksalthough they are not always fulfilled, without it supposing that they are not. Among them:
- Less environmental impact.
- Insulating capacity of cold, heat, noise and humidity.
- Savings, both when acquiring or manufacturing them by hand and amortizing them through the energy saving they provide.
They are also usually lighter, finally, with which they reduce construction times and the effort that workers must make. Without forgetting, of course, the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity that promotes the manufacture of many of them.
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